Inside Ecuador’s Prison Crisis: Violence, Rival Gangs and a System Under Pressure
Ecuador has faced a devastating prison crisis for years, with overcrowded facilities, powerful criminal organizations and violent rivalries turning some prisons into extremely dangerous environments.
The country’s prison violence has repeatedly made international headlines, particularly after deadly clashes between rival gangs left dozens of inmates dead in different incidents.
One of the most serious periods came in 2021, when coordinated prison riots across several facilities resulted in dozens of deaths. Authorities attributed much of the violence to conflicts between rival criminal groups competing for power and influence inside the prison system.
The violence was not an isolated event.
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Over the following years, Ecuador continued to experience deadly confrontations inside its prisons, including further riots in 2022. These incidents highlighted how difficult it had become for authorities to maintain control over parts of the country’s prison system.
A Prison System Under Extreme Pressure
Ecuador’s security crisis is closely connected to the expansion of organized crime and drug-trafficking networks.
