Prisoners involved in extremely violent crimes, such as murder or serious injuries, will not be able to work in the kitchens of Catalan prisons or in workshops where they have to handle dangerous instruments, according to the new protocol implemented by the government of Salvador Illa.
In statements to EFE, the Minister of Justice, Ramon Espadaler, explained that the circulars that regulate the access of prisoners to work in prisons have been revised to incorporate the new measure, which prohibits access to prison kitchens, both punitive and preventive.
Prisoners’ access to work involving the handling of dangerous instruments has been under review since last March, when a cook at Mas d’Enric prison, in El Catllar (Tarragona), was murdered by a prisoner who worked with her and was serving a sentence for murder.
The crime put prison officials on a war footing, and they organized various demonstrations on the eve of the Catalan elections on May 12.
The previous team at the head of the Ministry of Justice, headed by former adviser Gemma Ubasart, had drawn up a new circular, due to come into force in October, which did not prevent prisoners involved in violent crimes from working in the kitchens as long as they complied with a series of requirements of good conduct.
Espadaler, who at the end of last month appointed Elena Pérez as head of the General Secretariat of Penal Measures – replacing Amand Calderó, who was highly contested by prison unions – promoted the new protocol, which comes into force this Monday, in search of a “balance” between the security of the establishments and the objective of reintegrating prisoners.
“It is about balancing two issues of equal importance, the job security of civil servants and the rights of prisoners, and preserving something substantial, which is coexistence in the centres,” he explained.
For the new head of Justice, this is a measure of “common sense”, because, according to him, it is difficult to understand that a person who has committed violent crimes, sometimes involving knives, resulting in death or serious injury, could work with certain tools, such as knives.
Espadaler stressed that the “ultimate meaning” of prison is rehabilitation, as established by the Constitution itself: “It is a pair that can never be lost sight of, the security of the centers but also the living conditions of the prisoners.”
