Ecuador’s government issued an extraordinary call on Monday for retired police officers and military personnel to serve as prison guards on an “exceptional and temporary” basis. The move comes amid an ongoing offensive against organized crime that has turned the country’s penitentiaries into scenes of extreme violence.
Since 2021, prison massacres have killed approximately 500 inmates. The most recent, in September 2025, left 17 dead — some of them decapitated. The government said the initiative is part of a broader strategy to “recover control of the prison system and consolidate its transformation.”
