Catalan prison conditions improve amid overcrowding relief plans

The Citizen Ombudsman, Xavier Cañada, has reported improvements in conditions at La Comella prison over the past year. Following government measures implemented since 2024—including expanded spaces for minors, improved technical facilities in showers, and increased leisure time—the number of complaints has decreased significantly compared to 2024. Recent legislative changes also aim to reduce provisional detention terms and restructure sanctions to be more proportional.

Separately, prison unions have warned that the Generalitat de Catalunya, led by Salvador Illa, plans to grant semi-liberty to 288 inmates to address prison overcrowding. This strategy involves an expansive application of Article 86.4 of the Penitentiary Regulations, which allows certain third-degree inmates to fulfill their sentences from home under lighter supervision. Unions expressed concern that this could allow potentially dangerous individuals to bypass intensive treatment and control mechanisms.