Assaulting a prison officer will be considered as serious as assaulting a police officer.

A long-standing demand of prison officers, which gained momentum after the murder of a cook at Mas d'Enric prison, has been approved. Votes from the PP, Vox, Aliança Catalana, and Junts secured the passage in the Catalan Parliament of a proposal from the PSC granting these workers the status of law enforcement officers. The measure also extends to prison directors and rehabilitation staff: psychologists, educators, lawyers, and social workers. With Thursday's decision, Catalan prison workers become the first in Spain to achieve this status, which is also held by police officers. Until a few months ago, the Catalan government had argued that only the Spanish government could implement such a measure, but on the first anniversary of the crime at Mas d'Enric, the Minister of Justice, Ramon Espadaler, He pledged to grant this prerogative using the powers that Catalonia has been delegated in matters of prisons.The proposal presented by the PSC initially limited the status of law enforcement officers to internal affairs officials, but following an amendment by Junts, it has been extended to rehabilitation officers as well. However, the Vox amendment, which sought to include support staff (such as cooks), and the PP amendment, which aimed to add "all prison service personnel," were not approved. In practical terms, granting these workers the status of law enforcement officers will mean that the information they provide in their reports during administrative proceedings, such as incidents at the facility, will be presumed to be truthful. Law enforcement officers are also the only individuals against whom the crime of assaulting an officer can be committed. This crime includes both physical assault and intimidation, as well as offering "serious resistance" to officers. This offense can carry a sentence of up to four years in prison. Furthermore, the law approved this Thursday also includes the obligation of the Generalitat (Catalan government) to compensate these workers for injuries or damages suffered at work if they do not first receive compensation through other means, such as an insurance company. Human rights organizations belonging to the Law and Prison Network have expressed their "outright rejection" of the Catalan Parliament's approval this Thursday of equating prison staff with law enforcement officers. They consider it a "clearly regressive" measure that "definitively sets the Catalan prison model on the path to policing," as they say has happened in Italy. They consider it a "serious regression in rights." In contrast, unions and prison officer platforms have celebrated the approval, which they had been demanding for some time to have greater legal protection against assaults. Together, the PP, Vox, and Aliança voted with the PSC (Socialist Party of Catalonia).

The Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) has received the support of Junts, the People's Party (PP), Vox, and Aliança Catalana to transform prison officers into agents of authority, with the rest of the left-wing parties opposing it. The initiative, processed through a single reading procedure, arose following the murder of Núria López, a cook at Mas de Enric prison, by an inmate. The PSC, which brought the proposal to the plenary session, defended the measure, considering it "necessary, responsible, and in accordance with the law to strengthen the prison system." "This law is not about punishment, but about legal certainty for officers," added Socialist MP Judit Alcalá, of the PSC. Francesc Dalmases, of Junts, pointed out that "prisons must be safe spaces" and granting authority to officers "is not a gift," but rather makes them "guarantors of rights" to improve the prison system. "We want better schools and hospitals, but also better prisons and better working conditions for prison staff," he concluded. Sergio Macián, from Vox, denounced the left's desire to "turn prisons into youth centers" and countered the CUP's argument that human rights should be upheld for prison officers who have been assaulted by inmates in support of the measure. Alberto Villagrasa, from the People's Party, defended the measure so that "prison staff can work in a safer environment," despite advocating, like Vox, that it should apply to all staff, a position rejected by the PSC. Aliança Catalana also supported the proposal. Deputy Sílvia Orriols stated that "they don't want to provide more benefits to thieves and rapists, but rather improve the working conditions of those who guard these criminals." "They only want to give privileges to inmates while attacks on officers continue to rise," he criticized, referring to the rejection by left-wing parties. The left, which had presented a comprehensive amendment that was rejected, has been highly critical of the PSC's alignment with right-wing forces. ERC reiterated its support for voting against the measure, arguing that turning prison officers into law enforcement agents is not the solution. "This will create more problems than it solves," said Anna Balsera. Andrés García, from the Comuns, stated that it is "a reform against the prison staff" and that "it could have negative consequences in prisons because there are far more risks than benefits." Xavi Pellicer, from the CUP, made it clear that the measure will generate "more impunity that only responds to corporate pressures."