The army will support the police in Ecuadorian prisons

The Ministry of Government (Interior) reports that the decision was made by the Council of Ministers of the Security Sector, led by the chair of the portfolio, Alexandra Villa, when analyzing the situation in the prison network in this Andean country.

The meeting also discussed the procedures that will be applied as soon as the state of exception ends in the social rehabilitation centers next Tuesday.

In this sense, the agreement was to maintain the support of the armed forces in ensuring security in the periphery of the prisons.

In addition, the military will participate in seizures of possession and possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives, in accordance with the law.

Likewise, they will intensify preventive and deterrent measures and patrols on CRS access roads and indoors, and retain reactive forces for immediate action, in accordance with existing regulations and protocols.

The main objective is to ensure order in the prisons, where confrontations and violence intensified this year.

Littoral, the most disputed, was the scene of the two worst massacres in the system, with 119 and 68 violent deaths, respectively, as well as dozens wounded in battles between prisoners.

In the entire prison network during 2021, more than 320 murders of inmates were recorded, which prompted the national government to declare a state of exception, in order to calm it down, give it better conditions in its infrastructure, and reduce overcrowding, as it hosts more than 38 thousand inmates when It has a capacity of 30,000 guests.

mgt / scm