Eighty-four votes in favor were enough to change the lives of thousands of inmates in Ecuador.
Assemblywoman Inés Alarcón pushed the idea that dominated the headlines: prisoners will have to work to pay for their own food in prison. That was the discussion you saw on social media, the one that generated memes and applause. But the text approved on March 17, 2026 goes much further: it creates a prison intelligence system, reclassifies inmates’ level of dangerousness, and authorizes guards to use force legitimately inside prisons.
None of this happened by chance. In 2025, 1.220 people deprived of their liberty died in Ecuador, compared with 331 in 2024 — a jump of 268% in just twelve months. Revolución Ciudadana voted against it and warned of something that should concern you: the law provides no real budget for its implementation. Now the text is only awaiting President Daniel Noboa’s signature. Did anyone ask you whether this is security or control?
