Spain, like many countries in the European Union, has experienced great increase in the arrival of immigrants over the last few years. This phenomenon, which is partly a consequence of the political, economic and humanitarian crises occurring in various parts of the planet, has sparked intense debate in the countries where it is most suffered. Even if immigration enriches the social and economic fabric territories, also poses serious challenges in terms of integration, employment and security. In this sense, in Spain, in recent months, the migratory pressure has reached a critical point and images of mass arrivals on the country’s coasts continue to appear, causing growing concern among the population, who wonder how to manage the continuous flow of people in search of a new life in Europe.
This migratory context is also reflected in prison system Spanish. Even if, as the Ministry of the Interior revealed at the end of August, the total number of foreign prisoners has decreased over the last fifteen years, the data from the ministry of Fernando Grande-Marlaska reveal a completely different reality from that which the government wants to show. . In this sense, since 2020, the downward trend has been reversed and the number of foreign detainees has increased significantly compared to the prison population of Spanish origin.
According to figures obtained by ABC via the transparency portal, Foreigners represent 31.4% of the prison population in Spain, which triple its presence in the entire population registered in the country, which reaches 12.7%. These data highlight a considerable disparity between foreign residents who benefit from it and those who are deprived of it. While one in a thousand Spaniards is in prisonamong the foreigners This figure amounts to three. Furthermore, the growth In absolute terms, it is much faster in this group since, over the last four years, the number of foreign detainees has increased by 2,617more than double as the increase in the number of Spanish prisoners during the same period.
Likewise, regional differences further aggravate this imbalance. In communities like Catalonia, Madrid or Castilla y León, the percentage of foreign prisoners compared to their presence in general society is disproportionately high. In CataloniaFor example, half of the detainees are foreignerswhile in Madrid This figure reached 42%both data being much higher than their representation in the total population.
Which foreign group has the most prisoners in Spanish prisons?
THE prisoners’ country of origin in Spanish prisons reveal dynamics that go beyond the simple migratory presence. Although heThe nationalities with the greatest number of registrants in Spain they include communities such as Morocco, Romania or Colombianot everyone is equally represented in the prison system. Curiously, countries like Italy, the United Kingdom or Venezuela, which are among the main groups of foreign residents, are not among the most common nationalities of prisoners.
The foreign group with a greater presence in Spanish prisons is that of the original citizens Moroccan. With 5,471 detaineesMoroccans represent the 29.5% of the foreign prison populationa percentage significantly higher than its proportion in the total registered populationwhich barely reaches the 1.9%. A fact which shows that in Spain, one in three foreign prisoners is of Moroccan originwhich reflects a problem that authorities urgently need to address.
