Análisis de los grupos de delincuencia organizada que generaron violencia criminal en el Ecuador en los años 2023-2024

Abstract

Abstract: This study examines the criminal violence generated by Organized Crime Groups (OCGs) in Ecuador during the period 2023 2024, integrating official information and specialized academic literature within a critical realist epistemological framework. The theoretical framework draws on critical criminology, conflict theory, world-systems theory, social control, and labeling theory, complemented by concepts such as criminal governance, illicit networks, illegal economies, and instrumental violence. From this perspective, the study proposes a normative response based on the segmentation of the Comprehensive Organic Criminal Code, considering the specific characteristics of OCGs, including their levels of violence, organizational structure, territorial control, and transnational linkages. This proposal, together with the strengthening of investigative capacities and inter-institutional coordination, seeks to reduce the use of violence and mitigate its adverse effects particularly on homicide rates while reaffirming the responsibility of the State to guarantee citizen security through comprehensive public policies that combine crime control with social welfare.