At least 15 inmates died at the Litoral Penitentiary in Ecuador between Thursday, December 11, and Sunday, December 14, as confirmed this Monday by the National Service for Comprehensive Care for Adults Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent Offenders (SNAI).
The deaths, which affected inmates from different cellblocks and of varying ages (between 22 and 65 years old), are under investigation. While the official cause must be determined by the Forensic Medicine Institute, preliminary information points to possible health complications, as the police indicated that no visible signs of violence, such as gunshot or stab wounds, were found
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Prison Crisis in Ecuador: Ten Inmates Dead at the Litoral Penitentiary
These new deaths exacerbate the humanitarian crisis at the prison, considered the most populated and dangerous in Ecuador, which houses between 6,000 and 7,000 inmates. The situation is unfolding amid a documented health crisis, marked by tuberculosis outbreaks, cases of extreme malnutrition (cachexia), and an overwhelmed medical system.
Human rights organizations and the Ombudsman’s Office have warned of a high mortality rate. These recent deaths add to those previously reported, including twelve deaths from tuberculosis and malnutrition this month alone, and another ten in November, all occurring in the same prison under similar circumstances.
At the beginning of 2025, the Ministry of Health (MSP) acknowledged more than 1,100 cases of tuberculosis in the country’s prisons, half of them concentrated in the Litoral Penitentiary. The Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDH) of Guayaquil reported that at least 590 inmates have died in the Litoral Penitentiary so far this year.
Ecuador’s prisons: epicenter of violence
The violence in the prisons is part of a broader context of growing insecurity in the country: Ecuador has recorded more than 7,000 homicides so far in 2025, according to official data.
#FromTheSouth News Bits | Ecuador: Authorities reported that a riot in Machala prison left at least five dead and 34 injured. Officials’ sources specified that the riot originated as a protest. pic.twitter.com/3dQXn1Zqbs
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) November 13, 2025
The Litoral Penitentiary, overcrowded and with limited control, remains the epicenter of prison violence in Ecuador. Mass transfers between penitentiary centers, without adequate security protocols, have been identified by experts as a recurring risk factor.
In September, Ecuador witnessed two more massacres in prisons: one in Esmeraldas and another in Machala, reflecting a deepening structural crisis. Over the past five years, the prison system has become fertile ground for the growth of criminal networks, fueled by failed reforms, state corruption, and institutional neglect.
Far from fulfilling their rehabilitative function, prisons have become economic hubs for crime. From there, criminal organizations operate, managing multimillion-dollar illicit businesses, expanding their influence into the streets, and establishing links with transnational drug trafficking networks. This situation highlights the collapse of the prison system and the urgent need for a comprehensive response from the Ecuadorian state.
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