The Government published the results of the 2022 prison census. In Ecuador there are some 31,321 prisoners, most of them are between 18 and 44 years old.
A prison agent observes the work carried out by those who carry out the prison census that began on August 22, 2022 in Tulcán.
After five months of tabulating and analyzing the results of the interviews with the prisoners, finally, the Ecuadorian Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC) published the results of the First Prison Census of Ecuador.
Between August 22 and December 10, 2022, INEC technicians toured the country’s 36 prisons. The objective was to collect information on prisoners in Ecuador, to use it as a basis for designing a public policy for this sector.
As of the closing date of the census, there were 31,321 prisoners in Ecuador. The results remain current, since until June 16, 2023 that number varied only by 0.8% . The SNAI reported a prison population of 31,347 people, up to that day.
According to the INEC methodological considerations, the census was carried out through face-to-face interviews with the detainees and through mobile devices. Only 42 prisoners refused the interviews or answered them partially.
The profile of the prisoners
The first data provided by the prison census is about the composition of the prison population. Of the 31,321 detainees, 29,356 are men and 1,965 women, the analysis does not make a distinction between members of the LGBTI population, nor the trans population.
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The age of the prisoners
According to the census results, the age range of prisoners in Ecuador is between 18 and 93 years old, but 42% are between 30 and 44 years old. While 523 people in prison are over 65 years of age.
In the male population, 42.3% are between 30 and 44 years old, followed by 40.6% who are between 18 and 29 years old. While in the female population, 45.9% of the detainees are between 30 and 44 years old.
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Schooling levels
The prison census reported that 629 people deprived of liberty do not have any type of education. 37.1% of women and 37.9% of men passed at least one year of secondary education.
More than 50% of the prison population responded that they attended or are attending basic education. And only 7.7% of the prisoners have a higher level of education.
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Few foreign prisoners
According to the data, of the more than 30,000 prisoners in Ecuador, only 3,245 are foreigners.
The foreign population in greater proportion is of Colombian, Venezuelan and Peruvian nationalities.
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Arrested for drug trafficking
Of the prisoners who responded that they had already received a sentence, the majority were accused of crimes related to drug trafficking. Then comes the crime of robbery and manslaughter or murder.
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Prison time
Of the total number of detainees in Ecuador, 5,044 people are on trial and 26,134 have already received a sentence. While 126 prisoners do not know their procedural status.
Among those sentenced, the majority (55%) have spent more than two years behind bars. While among those who have not received convictions, and remain in the process, there are 4% who have been in jail for the same time.
