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Spain

Capital city — Madrid

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Panorama

Latest updates

Collective movements are recorded

-

The law provides for a sentence adjustment system

yes

  • A total of 4,356 prisoners have been freed since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

    i
    18/06/2020
    / El Mundo

Prisoners are allowed to make external phone calls

yes

The rules allow five telephone calls per week (article 47). The prison authorities usually allow two calls, but the number varies according to the establishment and the detention regime. Each call is limited to five minutes.

Inbound calls are forbidden.

  • The number of telephone calls prisoners are allowed to make has increased from 10 to 15 per week. A free telephone is provided for those who are in financial difficulties. Telephone calls have been the only way for prisoners to maintain links with their families and seek legal help since visits were suspended.

    i
    20/03/2020
    / ABC

Prisoners have access to video calls with external contacts

yes

Inmates who have not had any visitors for a period of at least four months can request access to video-conferencing facilities.

  • Teixeiro, Bonxe and Monterroso prisons have organised 10-minute video calls between prisoners and their families. Priority has been given to sick prisoners, young parents, and those with financial difficulties. Lama and Pereiro prisons have been awaiting the delivery of mobile phones so that they can implement this measure.

    i
    12/04/2020
    / La voz de Galicia

The legislation provides for a sentence adjustment for pregnant women or women with young children

no

  • 18 female inmates who were imprisoned with their children younger than three have been released under electronic supervision since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

    i
    12/05/2020
    / EPO

There are three forms of temporary release:

1. Ordinary permit: the prisoner must have completed a quarter of their sentence, be classed as second or third grade, and show evidence of good behaviour. Meeting these conditions does not guarantee that leave will be granted. The length of an ordinary permission is 36 days per year for prisoners classed as second grade, divided into two half-year periods, with a maximum of seven consecutive days. For prisoners classed as third grade, the maximum is 48 days per year, subject to the same conditions. Prisoners on remand are not eligible for this permit.

2. Extraordinary permit: these are granted, in exceptional circumstances, to remand or convicted prisoners classed as first grade, in the case of the death or illness of a family member, or childbirth. These permits are subject to much stricter surveillance, and the prisoner usually remains handcuffed. The length of the permit is restricted to the duration of the event.

3. Weekend permit: the prisoner must be classed as third grade in order to be eligible. The outing usually lasts from 16:00 on Friday to 8:00 on Monday.

  • In the context of measures taken to combat Covid-19, the authorities have allowed prisoners under a restricted-release regime to sleep in their own homes.

    i
    18/03/2020
    / Le Monde

Inmates with addictions receive special monitoring.

Inmates with addictions have particular services available:

  • Smoking: the percentage of smokers among prisoners is higher than in the outside population. The prison administration has been increasing smoking information and awareness campaigns since 2012. It has organised conferences and individual cessation programmes. The length of the programmes varies between two and three months and the participants have a follow-up assessment at the end of their programme. In 2016, the programme was in place in 18 establishments and was involved in the treatment of 315 inmates.

  • Alcoholism: a programme provides awareness of the risks of excessive consumption of alcohol, suggests strategies to abstain and organises group workshops to motivate the patients. The average number of participants in the programme is 1,300 inmates per quarter.

  • Drug addiction: the war on drugs is one of the key priorities of prison health programmes. Many intervention programmes have been developed around three fundamentally interdependent areas: prevention, assistance and social reintegration. Dedicated therapy areas have been set up. Inmates with drug dependencies can access substitute treatments, like methadone.

  • The Brians 1 prison authorities in Barcelona have taken away the hand sanitiser dispensers which had been installed in the prison. Some inmates had been using them to make alcoholic cocktails.

    i
    16/06/2020
    / Euro Weekly News

  • A number of inmates have shown withdrawal symptoms, which has intensified tension in various prisons. The Covid-19 lockdown in prisons has made it more difficult for inmates to acquire drugs.

    i
    21/03/2020
    / El País

The law provides for a temporary release system

yes

  • In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, temporary leave is possible once again in some prisons in the country.

    i
    27/05/2020
    / Europris

Every prison facility has a health care unit

yes

  • On 11 April the justice minister announced the creation of a field hospital inside Quatre Camins prison to treat prisoners suffering from Covid-19.

    i
    13/04/2020
    / La Vanguardia

All prisoners are allowed to work

yes

  • Work has recommenced in 11 prisons where Covid-19 hygiene measures can be put in place.

    i
    27/05/2020
    / Europris

All prisoners have the right to receive visits

yes

Each inmate has the right to two “ordinary” visits per week lasting for 20 minutes each, or a single visit of 40 minutes. “Ordinary” visits are permitted to inmates classed as “first and second grade”. “Third grade” inmates only have restricted daytime visits during their working hours.

  • Visits without a separation device (‘vis a vis’) have been suspended once again in Catalan prisons, and must now be carried out through a screen. Ponent prison in Lleida is not accepting visitors at all. Parcels sent to prisoners are held in quarantine for 72 hours before being delivered. There are plans for a video call service to allow prisoners to contact their families.

    i
    21/05/2020
    / La Informacion

  • Visits were allowed to resume from 14 May 2020.

    i
    14/05/2020
    / EPO