La crisis penitenciaria actual del Ecuador y la sintomatología clínica en mujeres privadas de la libertad.

Abstract

During the year 2021 and in the development of 2022, the country succumbed to a wave of violent events that surrounded the prison environment, which undoubtedly have repercussions at the management, collective and personal level. Overcrowding, lack of resources, difficulty in legal processes, among others, are the main factors that fuel the creation of a hostile environment in national prisons. As a result of this, it is common to find consequences at the mental level given by the facts when the well-being and integrity of individuals or similar groups are attacked. Commonly, prison studies point to male populations, leaving behind women deprived of liberty and a possible gender approach to the same conflict. To address this problem, an investigation has been proposed to describe the experiences regarding prison violence within female prisons and its possible impact on mental health, shown as psychopathological symptoms. To achieve this, a mixed approach methodology has been proposed where it began with a quantitative analysis which collected information through surveys focused on intra-prison violence and the use of the MCMI-III to encompass clinical symptoms and possibly a relationship with the personality; In addition, the qualitative approach is added through interviews to deepen the individual experience regarding the severity of the facts. The results showed that there is a significant number of women who have perceived intra-prison violence within detention centers, both at the spectator level and at the participatory level; which, according to their levels and forms, indicate a greater presence of symptoms. It is concluded that prison violence is one of the many factors that significantly affect the mental health of women, mainly when they are in adaptation processes, since they contribute more to the fact that prison can be perceived as a threatening place and transform behavior , emotions and cognition.