State failures and privatization of the prison system in Ecuador

Abstract

The crisis in Ecuadorian prisons, characterized by overcrowding, precarious conditions, lack of resources, violence and high criminal recidivism, presents significant challenges for inmates and society. This translates into the violation of human rights, poor rehabilitation and difficulties in achieving resocialization and security goals. The objective of this research was to analyze the convenience of prison privatization as a response to the state's failures in penitentiary matters. As a methodology, documentary analysis and bibliographic review were used as essential tools to generate the corresponding categories. The documentary analysis allowed us to examine official documents and regulations related to the prison system, providing accurate and reliable data to evaluate state management and arguments about privatization. The literature review enriched the analysis by accessing previous research and theories on prison privatization, providing broader perspectives on the topic. As a result, a weighting of objectives, resources and regulations was carried out, reaching the conclusion that both resocialization and privatization are the ideal response to the prison crisis in Ecuador. The combination of these approaches could offer a comprehensive strategy focused on rehabilitation and efficient economic management in terms of resource administration, which would be a solid solution to the prison crisis in Ecuador.