Catalonia Sets Up Task Force on Prison Conditions Reform. The Catalan Parliament launches a task force to examine prison conditions after a series of deaths. The focus will be on inmates’ health, isolation practices, and the use of mechanical restraints.
The Parliament of Catalonia has officially established a working group to analyze and reform conditions in regional prisons. The decision comes in the wake of the recent resignation of the director of Puig de les Basses prison after three deaths at the institution in four months and five suicides in penitentiary facilities across the region since the beginning of the year. Issues concerning inmate health, frequent use of isolation, and the application of mechanical restraints have sparked sharp debate between political parties and relevant authorities.
Long-standing conflict and new figures
The initiative to create the group was led by ERC, Comuns, and CUP, who have spent years pressing for parliamentary review of the issue. This time, Junts joined them while PSC abstained, allowing the proposal to pass. The discussion centers on five key problems: the practice of using mechanical restraints, inmates' health conditions, isolation, suicide cases, and the effectiveness of rehabilitation programs, particularly under the so-called 'open regime.'
According to parliamentary materials, over the past three years there have been more than 2,500 cases of mechanical restraints used in Catalonia—15 times higher than the average for other regions of Spain. In the past year alone, Catalan prisons accounted for over 72% of all such cases nationwide. Experts and lawmakers note that the reduction in the use of the open regime is negatively impacting inmates' rehabilitation opportunities.
Party positions and staff concerns
ERC and Comuns deputies emphasize that the creation of the group became possible due to pressure from international bodies, particularly reports from the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture, which has criticized the situation in Catalan prisons for more than a decade. CUP representatives believe the working group's conclusions should serve as the basis for policy changes and potentially for amending the region's regulations.
The Catalan authorities state that they are ready to take parliamentary recommendations into account. The Ministry of Justice notes that suicide prevention is a priority and that measures are being implemented to identify and support vulnerable inmates in cooperation with the health department. Junts supported the creation of the group but insist on an impartial approach and concrete proposals without accusations. PSC calls for maintaining a professional approach and believes the government is already implementing the necessary measures, although it did not formally support the initiative.
Unions’ reaction and concerns
Prison staff unions and opposition parties such as the PP and Vox express concerns that the discussion could lead to the stigmatization of penitentiary staff. They warn that the working group risks becoming a platform for accusations against personnel rather than an instrument for constructive change.
The issue of conditions in Spanish prisons has repeatedly attracted public attention. For example, in the past, Spanish authorities have intervened in situations involving citizens imprisoned abroad, demanding better conditions and access to medical care—as was the case with Spanish citizens held in an Equatorial Guinean prison— details of this intervention were reported in one of RUSSPAIN's stories.
