Prison escape in Ecuador: What went wrong and how do we stop this from happening again?
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Prison escape in Ecuador: What went wrong and how do we stop this from happening again?
What is a prison?
If we really want to find a solution to this problem, we first must know and understand what a prison is.
A prison is a structure/building in which people are legally kept as a punishment for a crime they committed or while they are waiting to be tried in court. So, a prison is supposed to be very well protected and as tight as a drum.
Why were prisons established?
Prisons were established to punish people for the crimes they committed and to prevent criminals from mixing with society so that they will not be able to influence the good people and make them bad. If prisons aren't well secured and protected, some clever and cunning detainees might be able to penetrate through the prisons line of defence and escape. So, every prison must be very well secured and protected. Maybe, a moat around each prison will be a good protective method.
What went wrong in La Roca prison?
When Fito, the leader of one of Ecuador's most notorious gangs (Los Choneros) escaped from the prison, there was a series of riots in some prisons. Daniel Noboa (President of Ecuador) blamed Fito's escape on Ecuador's poor prison system, and he also declared that the country is in a state of emergency. It is said that Fito's escaped after news went around that he was going to be relocated in a stronger prison. So, a little mistake in communication in a jail caused an armed conflict.
How do we fix this?
Because it was a mistake in communication, I suggest that the police and soldiers on duty use code to speak and they must change the code every twenty-four (24) hours. They could also have thorough checks at any random time, they must have one or two people guarding each cell. I think that they should look for more trained and qualified people to do the job, they should let the guards undergo serious training for them to spot and stop any suspicious activity in the prison. They can get higher and thicker walls so that it will be difficult to scale the wall because of the height and be almost impossible to penetrate because of the width of the wall. They could also get security dogs to help track down any criminals that are on the move. The installation of security cameras at possible escape routes will help so that in case a prisoner is in the act of escaping, a team of well-trained prison officers will receive an alarm from a man monitoring the cameras in the security room and will start hunting down the prisoner.