Image of the entrance to the Brians 2 prison with a Mossos van passing in front
POLITICS

1,637 prisoners in Catalonia have taken advantage of a permit to escape in recent years

It's as if in 8 years all the inmates had escaped from the prisons of Lledoners and Puig de les Basses

Can you imagine if in a short time all the inmates from the prisons of Lledoners and Puig de les Basses had escaped? This is what has happened in the last 8 years in Catalonia with the permits granted to prisoners in various penitentiary centers.

A total of 1,637 criminals have taken advantage of the permit granted to them to escape and not return to prison. According to the Penal Code, this is a crime of breach of sentence, punishable by 6 months to a year in prison. However, the main problem is not only this high number but the concerning trend we are experiencing in the Catalan penitentiary system in recent years.

Entrance to the Center Penitenciari Quatre Camins with a Catalan flag flying on a mast and a building in the background.
Quatre Camins entrance | Departament de Justicia de la Generalitat de Catalunya

In 2024, 242 inmates escaped taking advantage of the permit granted to them. This is the highest number in recent years, according to a report by Marea Blava, a group of penitentiary center workers, accessed by E-Notícies. Curiously, it was the second year with the fewest permits granted. That is, even though fewer permits are given, there are more escape cases.

The percentage of inmates with permits who didn't return was 5.7% this past year. It is almost double the 3.1% in 2017. In fact, according to the Marea Blava report, in 7 years the cases of inmates taking advantage of a permit to not return to prison have increased by 67.6%. In 2017 there were 154 cases and in 2024, 242.

By penitentiary centers, the one with the worst percentage of inmates who escaped in 2024 thanks to obtaining a permit is Puig de les Basses with 7.1%. It is followed by Brians 2 with 6.7%, Presó de Joves (5.2%), and the Open Center of Tarragona (4.7%). In absolute numbers, Brians 2 leads the table with 54 cases, followed by Puig de les Basses (32), Open Center of Barcelona (31), and Quatre Camins (26).

Table showing the evolution of the granting of permits and non-return of permits from 2017 to 2024, with data on inmates with permits, inmates who didn't return, and the corresponding percentage.
Data on prisoners who escape thanks to obtaining a permit | E-Noticies

Regarding the nationality of the inmates who take advantage of a permit to escape, there is no data. However, the prison with the highest percentage of cases, Puig de les Basses, is the second penitentiary center with the most foreign inmates (only surpassed by Presó de Joves, the third prison with a higher %).

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