Keeping Prisoners in Jails Costs the Generalitat €1.2 Million Daily

How Much Money Does It Cost All Catalans to Keep the More Than 8,800 Prisoners Currently in Catalonia's Prisons? The answer was given by the Justice Minister, Ramon Espadaler, a few months ago in a parliamentary response. The total cost for the Generalitat's coffers is 141.2 euros per day per prisoner. That is, more than 1.2 million euros each day. That is, about 455 million euros annually.

According to data from the Justice Department updated as of March 31, 2025, there are currently 8,828 inmates in the 13 penitentiary centers throughout Catalonia. More than half, specifically 51.8%, are foreigners. The other 48.2% have a Spanish ID, although this also includes those who are naturalized but of foreign origin.

The nearly 8,900 prisoners currently in Catalan prisons represent the highest figure of the last decade. The number of inmates has been decreasing since 2010, when there were more than 10,000. However, since 2023 the trend has reversed and, in just over a year, we have gone from just over 8,000 inmates to nearly 9,000, with what this entails in terms of public spending. It is, without a doubt, another sign of the rise in crime in recent years, despite the current collapse of the justice system.

What Happens Inside Catalan Prisons?

Forty years ago, the Generalitat assumed the responsibilities to manage the penitentiary centers in Catalonia. In general, little is known about what happens inside these spaces that house criminals who are unable to live in society. Now, a book allows for a better understanding of the reality inside Catalan prisons.

It is "Don't Tell Anyone What You Do," written by Albert Duchamp, head of the unit at Quatre Camins prison. This book, although it is a novel, perfectly portrays experiences, anecdotes, and reflections on the reality in Catalan penitentiary centers. All from the point of view of the, surely, most forgotten protagonists of the prison world: its workers. Workers who have been up in arms for some time, demanding more security measures in the face of the violence exercised by inmates against this group.