The inmates are actively involved in designing the activities on offer.

The activity programmes are evaluated and approved by the prison administration. The establishment and the activity partner sign a two-year co-operation agreement. It is rare for an establishment to oppose a proposed activity programme. Cancellations are rare. The usual reasons are lack of co-ordination or communication. These problems are caused by a large number of organisations working within a limited space (700 organisations and 8,000 external participants).

A typical day is as follows:

• 7am: wake-up, prisoner roll-call
• 8am – 9am: breakfast
• 9am – 1pm: activities (work, training, community activities)
• 1pm – 5pm: lunch, rest
• 5pm – 8pm: activities
• 8pm – 9pm: evening meal

Prison regulations set out the access criteria for work. Access to work is used as a reward for good behaviour. Prisoners classified as “first grade” rarely get access to work. The prison leadership committee examines the request, considers their approval and carries out a follow-up.

The offered work comprises three types of activity:

• General prison services. This refers to work that contributes to the day-to-day running of the prison (cooking and baking, laundry, maintenance, shops, gardening, ancillary services)
• Workshops organised by and for the prison administration. Production of goods and services marketed by the prison administration (clothing manufacture, metalwork and woodwork, printing, agricultural work).
• Work organised by private firms (packing, assembly, fabrication).

Inmates placed in open prisons work outside the prison.

Prisoners are not given an employment contract.

Work is not a factor in helping to adjust a sentence, but it can facilitate an early release.

The training providers are backed by the Ministry of Education, and the Educational Committees of the Autonomous Communities. Trainers are recruited by the Educational Committees. Learning and employment workshops are offered and financed by the European Union or the government. Certain workshops, for example those concerning health issues or substance abuse, are devolved to specialist organisations.

It is possible for inmates to deliver training courses; for example, a theatrical course offered in four prisons in Madrid. Inmates are not remunerated for these activities, but their activity is taken into account for social security.

The following religions are the most common: Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, Muslim, Orthodox and Jehovah’s Witness.

The organisations represent a number of different areas: health and substance abuse, reintegration, education, employment training, social awareness of the prison environment.

Some organisations receive public subsidies. For example, the “Solidarios” organisation provides socio-cultural activities and 89% of their 2017 budget was subsidised by public bodies.

The typical profile of an inmate is a man with an average age of thirty-nine years old, financially insecure, poorly educated, vulnerable and socially excluded. He is often affected by a mental health issue. Female inmates share a similar profile.

Inmates sometimes produce radio broadcasts on the prison radio station, an example being the “A Lama” prison in Pontevedra.

In 2017, the Association for Human Rights of Andalusia alerted the Ombudsman to the challenges faced by inmates in making contact with journalists. The organisation condemned the refusal of a prison governor to allow a meeting with a journalist without any justification (i.e. without a written response). The Ombudsman reiterated that any refusal must have a legal basis¹.