The number is important: Dilemmas and Challenges of Criminal Policy in the penitentiary crisis in Ecuador

The prison crisis in Ecuador shocked national and international public opinion. There are several attributed causes, but the problem of prison overpopulation has played a key role. Thus, the objective of this research is to discuss dilemmas and structural challenges of criminal policy in that country to relieve overcrowding in the prison system. The dilemma of increasing crime, the management of the judicial system, the prison infrastructure management model and the definition of a preventive drug policy are examined as the most complex nodal points. The resolution of these issues may offer a way out of the current crisis.

Keywords:
prison crisis; punitive populism; penal efficiency; prison infrastructure; anti-drug policy