Catalonia’s prisons are nearing capacity after a sharp rise in inmates. Authorities now plan up to 700 new places using prefabricated modules. The move comes as convictions in Barcelona jump 40 percent in a year.
Catalonia’s prisons are nearly full, with inmate numbers climbing steadily. The regional government is now moving quickly to add up to 700 new prison places using prefabricated modules—a stopgap measure to handle the surge in detainees. As of August 31, official figures show 9,597 people held in Catalan prisons, which have a total capacity of 10,016. That leaves little room for further increases.
Barcelona is under the most pressure. Convictions in the city have jumped 40 percent since the start of 2024, partly due to a crackdown on repeat offenders. The region’s 13 prisons, built for 10,014 people, now hold 9,583 inmates. Even small changes in numbers could push the system over the edge. Over the past five years, Catalonia’s prison population has grown by about 1,800 people, or 23%, putting more strain on facilities and staff, according to ARA.
"In some prisons, inmates are now being housed in temporary or non-standard areas, such as infirmaries or intake modules, due to a lack of available space."
ARA
The first expansion will add 256 new places at Mas d’Enric prison in Tarragona by 2028, using modular construction to avoid long planning delays and major investments. The government also plans to install similar modules at other prisons with available space, but hasn’t said which ones yet. ARA reports that while these new modules will add "several hundred" places, they won’t fully solve the overcrowding problem.
Justice Minister Ramon Espadaler’s team says these steps are needed to handle what they call the "first avalanche" of new inmates. But prison staff warn that overcrowding is already affecting safety and living conditions. Unions and sources inside the system say the current workforce is sized for about 7,500 inmates, not the nearly 10,000 now in custody. This raises concerns about both security and care.
The government says it will not allow more than two prisoners per cell, which limits flexibility as numbers rise. The daily reality for inmates is becoming a political issue. On October 18, the Catalan Parliament will start a commission to review prison conditions, including the use of restraints, inmate health, suicide rates, and rehabilitation programs. This follows a letter from humanitarian groups to Pope León XIV, criticizing the state of Catalonia’s prisons after his visit to Brians 1 in June.
"Political oversight is increasing: the Catalan Parliament is preparing to discuss the state of prisons and detention conditions, making the issue highly sensitive and potentially leading to further inspections and recommendations."
ARA
Meanwhile, the Generalitat is working on two more projects: an open-regime center in Barcelona’s Zona Franca, due this year, and a new women’s prison in the same area, planned for 2029. The Zona Franca facilities are expected to add 800 places, starting with about half that number, mainly for men in third-degree (semi-liberty) status who now occupy space in Trinitat and Wad-ras prisons—both set to close.
This marks a sharp change from recent years. In 2016, Catalonia had 12,376 prison places; now, there are just over 10,000, even as the inmate population has grown by 1,900 in four years. The closure of Barcelona’s Modelo prison in 2017, after 113 years, was meant to start a new era of humane incarceration. Instead, the region is now struggling to keep up with more convictions and pre-trial detentions, driven by tougher policing and faster court proceedings for minor crimes.
The official occupancy rate doesn’t tell the whole story. Not every cell is available at all times—maintenance, solitary confinement, and upgrades mean the real margin is even tighter. Negotiations with contractors for the new modules at Mas d’Enric are still ongoing, and it’s not clear if the 2028 deadline will be met.
Other Spanish regions face similar problems as population growth and policy changes put pressure on public infrastructure. For example, the Generalitat in Valencia recently announced a major hospital expansion, as reported earlier, showing a wider trend of rapid capacity upgrades in key services.
The Catalan government’s shift to modular prison expansion is a sign that hopes for a shrinking inmate population have faded. Instead of long-term reform, officials are now trying to prevent overcrowding from turning into a crisis. Promises of better conditions and rehabilitation now depend on how much space and political will remain. If current trends continue, Catalonia’s prison system could become an example of how short-term fixes can undermine broader reforms.
