The Ombudswoman Asks to Readmit Violent Prisoners in High-Risk Workplaces

March 13 will mark one year since the murder of Núria in the Mas d'Enric prison, where she worked as a cook. She was killed by an inmate who also worked in the kitchen. That tragic event highlighted the lack of security for prison staff and led the Ministry of Justice to ban the most violent inmates from accessing high-risk areas like kitchens.

A year later, the Ombudsman urges the Generalitat to revoke the ban and allow violent inmates access to high-risk areas again. This was stated in the Annual Report of the Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture. Ombudswoman Esther Giménez-Salinas presented the report's conclusions this Monday in Parliament. 

The Ombudsman costs Catalans 7.3 million euros a year, of which 6.3 million are for salaries. The organization is dedicated to practicing leniency with security and focusing on the rights of inmates while neglecting the staff.

Delusional Report 

The Ombudsman considers that banning violent inmates from accessing potential weapons like knives is "a restriction of inmates' rights." For this organization, the way to ensure security is not by restricting inmates' access to kitchens but by "applying control measures, and perhaps expanding those that already exist."

It suggests installing cameras and metal detectors, strengthening searches, and securing dangerous tools to work tables. "The security of inmates and staff doesn't have to be at odds," said the ombudswoman. She emphasized work in prison as an essential right of inmates that must be restored.

She insisted that the severity of the crimes committed by the inmate can't be a reason to automatically remove them from the job. Therefore, she recommends the immediate and retroactive readmission of dangerous inmates to high-risk work areas.

They Suggest She Go Into the Kitchen

The Ombudsman's recommendations have caused outrage. Vox accuses her of "putting criminals ahead of victims and the safety of public officials." They believe the organization hasn't considered Núria's murder or the exponential increase in assaults on prison staff in Catalonia.

"Ombudsman for some, not all of us have the same rights or sit at her table," notes an outraged Catalan. It's one of the messages that have appeared on X. They call the ombudsman "crazy" and suggest that the ombudswoman should go into the kitchen with violent inmates.

A group of staff members calls for "acting with justice in the face of the increase in assaults we are suffering."

The Presons CSIF union has also erupted. "Prison workers are also people, and we need staunch defense from our institutions. Who defends us from you? Waste of public money with your salary."