Controversy over the new 'wall-less and barless' prison set to open in Catalonia

Catalonia will open a unique prison in Barcelona's Zona Franca in 2026. The new open-regime center, designed without walls, bars, or concertina wire, aims to facilitate inmates' reintegration through a friendlier environment. It will have a library, gym, television room, dining hall, training spaces, and 200 rooms distributed across two modules.

The majority of inmates will only come to sleep, since this prison is intended for those who are in the final stage of their sentence. It will feature biometric controls, individualized programs, and psychological and social support to help with the transition to life in freedom. Its structure, without conventional physical barriers, breaks with the traditional model and opts for what the administration calls "restorative justice."

Criticism over spending and privileges compared to social services

The model has quickly caused a wave of criticism on social media. Many users are asking why so much money is being allocated to equip a prison with services that many citizens can't afford. "Will the 14,000 elderly people on the waiting list for a public spot be able to stay there?" one user joked. Others pointed out: "Is this about discouraging crime or encouraging it? Because if they only go there to sleep, eat well, and have a gym, they'll live better than those who aren't in prison."

The discontent, however, isn't anecdotal. In a context of deteriorating public services, especially education and healthcare, this kind of news is very poorly received among citizens. "Your children, what about them? In barracks, right?" another user questioned.

A prison system with many shadows

Generalitat argues that open-regime centers have low recidivism rates and highlights the work of multidisciplinary teams that support inmates. However, this model coexists with a much darker side: the growing insecurity inside Catalan prisons.

As reported in E-Notícies at the beginning of the year, only in the first eight days of 2025, there were 13 assaults on prison staff. In centers like Brians 2, Lledoners, or Ponent, violent incidents occurred that included rib fractures and attacks on unit chiefs. Prison unions lamented the administration's passivity, which hasn't implemented effective improvements since the murder of worker Nuria López last year.