Bernardo Peña Herrera, Jennifer Julissa Córdova-Montero, Rodrigo Alberto Ríos Córdova, Gina Roxana Arias-Murillo
Detention centers concentrate a high proportion of people with severe mental disorders; international evidence places the prevalence of psychosis at around 4% and that of depression at nearly 13%, meaning that at least one in seven incarcerated individuals presents a severe mental disorder. In Ecuador, the problem is exacerbated by a structural prison crisis marked by overcrowding and weak health services. This article, theoretical and prescriptive in nature and focused on forensic psychology, analyzes the limitations of current intervention models and proposes an integrative model of structured psychosocial support for inmates with severe mental disorders in the Ecuadorian context. Based on a critical review of the forensic literature and the national regulatory framework—the 2008 Constitution and the Comprehensive Organic Criminal Code—a fragmentation between forensic evaluation and ongoing treatment is identified, as well as a lack of integration of dynamic variables. The proposed model is structured around three components—continuous dynamic assessment, structured psychosocial intervention, and risk monitoring—anchored in the Risk-Need-Responsiveness model and aimed at improving therapeutic adherence, psychopathological stability, and reintegration. The use of predictive analytics is approached cautiously, subject to professional supervision and guarantees of transparency and rights. The lack of direct empirical validation and the dependence on institutional resources are acknowledged as limitations.