Assaults in prisons: five times more against officials and double among inmates

BarcelonaAssaults within Catalan prisons have skyrocketed in the last ten years, in parallel with the increase in the prison population and a staff that is not growing at the same rate. According to data from the Department of Justice accessed by ARA, 265 workers have been assaulted since the beginning of the year, while in 2025, 677 assaults were recorded – 699, according to unions – five times more than a decade ago. In the same period, incidents among inmates have also doubled to 1,983 last year (see graphs).

A week ago, about 200 people from the Marea Blava Presons Association gathered outside the Brians 2 prison center demanding security improvements for workers after a visitor to the center allegedly threatened to kill, assaulted, and bit a communications worker. "It cannot happen again," they shouted. But on the same day, an inmate assaulted three workers in the prison yard. Both incidents bring the number of assaults on officials to 265.

The events at Brians 2 have once again brought to the fore an issue that concerns prison workers: their safety. Last year, more than 600 assaults on workers were registered in Catalonia, the highest ever recorded. Half of them were concentrated in the Brians 1 and Brians 2 prisons. This figure is five times the number of incidents recorded ten years ago (115). Furthermore, assaults between inmates have doubled: last year, 1,983 were registered, doubling the 986 recorded in 2016.

“We need a reinforcement of the workforce,” claims Alberto Gómez, head of prisons for CSIF in Catalonia. In recent years, there has been a notable increase in inmates in Catalan prisons, going from 7,713 in 2022 to 9,472; that is, 23% more. Although the number of workers has also increased, it has done so in a smaller proportion and at a slower pace (+13%). In fact, the imbalance is reflected in the staff ratio: in 2022 there were 2.39 inmates per worker, while in 2025 the proportion had risen to 2.52.

All in all, unions denounce, this increases assaults and self-harm and reduces control over entries and exits. “You have less capacity to respond to any incident,” explains Montse Balaguer, spokesperson for UGT Presons. According to the data, a tensioning factor is also the change in inmate profile seen in the centers: the proportion of third-degree prisoners – those with a semi-liberty regime – has decreased by 5%, and the proportion in the ordinary regime – second degree –, that is, those who sleep at the center every day, has increased by 3%.

Capacity for 10,000 inmates

According to the unions, this modification of the type of inmate has strained the centers and contributes to the overcrowding of prisons, as there is a larger volume of people in ordinary modules. “We need to rethink where prisons are going,” Gómez reiterated.

According to the data, however, prisons in Catalonia are not saturated. In fact, the system could accommodate almost half a thousand more inmates, as it has a capacity of up to 10,000 places. The issue, however, goes beyond beds: it is the need to have prison professionals, from guards to psychologists and social workers. In Balaguer's opinion, the optimal number of inmates in Catalonia oscillates around 8,000 places. “Anything beyond this strains the treatment and surveillance teams,” he emphasizes.

The Government is aware of the problem and emphasizes that in 2024 the incorporation of 407 interior, prison command, and surveillance officials to the centers was approved. Despite this, only two-thirds of the increase in prisoners since 2022 have been absorbed. That is, the staff is growing, but not fast enough to absorb the pace of the increase in the prison population. “We need to size the staff in real time,” argues Balaguer.

The executive has also implemented a reinforcement of worker safety measures, especially after the murder of Núria, the cook at Mas d'Enric prison in 2024. In January of this year, a law was passed in Parliament that turned prison officials into agents of authority; a measure that granted them a presumption of truthfulness, as well as the same judicial protection as police officers.

In addition, the government launched in October drone detection and telephony jamming programs, and body scanners to enhance worker safety. These have begun to be implemented this year as part of a project that will last until 2028. “We are aware that programs need to be reinforced and that we are working in this direction,” admit sources from the Justice Department to ARA.

Self-harm incidents triple

Another of the particularly sensitive government data is the exponential increase in self-harm within prisons. Since the beginning of the year, 606 minor self-harm incidents and 36 serious ones have been recorded; an increase of 50.4% and 305%, respectively, since 2021. According to Balaguer, what is happening inside prisons is a reflection of “the society we live in”, and just as mental health problems have increased outside, they have also increased “within correctional facilities”.

In fact, in June 2024, the government launched RECVI and UIC, two temporary programs to address self-harming behaviors and the incidence of inmates with an extreme risk of violent conduct in prisons. Although both Balaguer and Gómez look favorably upon the pilot programs, they continue to mention the alarming figures of inmates with mental disorders and the persistent lack of resources to address them. “The psychiatric inmate is not well cared for,” concludes Balaguer.