Puig de les Basses prison plans unit for young inmates

The new director of the Puig de les Basses prison, near Figueres, wants to create a separate unit for young inmates and apply a gender perspective to how the centre runs. She set out her plans in an interview with the local outlet Hora Nova, about three months after taking the job.

She was appointed in mid-June. She said it was still too early for a full assessment of her time in charge. She described mixed feelings about the role: enthusiasm, but also "a certain vertigo" given the responsibility involved.

Full prisons and suicide prevention

The director named two challenges shared across the prison system. Prisons are very full, and suicide prevention remains a priority.

She said the basic protocol has not changed. Catalan prisons already follow a framework programme for suicide prevention, which sets out procedures when a risk is detected. What has increased is the number of specific measures, including director's orders that add further preventive steps.

She inherited a centre that works well and said her first task is to keep it that way. Beyond that, she wants to "open new horizons."

Occupancy close to 1,000

Puig de les Basses can hold about 1,100 inmates. On 23 September, the day of the interview, it held 879. The figure changes daily because some inmates are on remand, and people arrive and leave every day.

The prison opened with just over 700 inmates. It has since reached a peak of 1,011, and the director said numbers now reach around 1,000.

A dedicated unit for young inmates

The main new project is a unit for younger inmates. Under the law, inmates aged 18 to 20 must be kept apart from the rest of the prison population. The centre applies this more broadly, up to the age of 24.

There are currently 108 inmates aged 18 to 24. The prison has a unit with space for about 60 people, now used by another group of inmates, and the plan is to move young people into it. The director also described the aim as specialised work with inmates aged 18 to 22.

She explained why separation matters. The legal framework is the same for everyone, but young people need different timing, more specific goals and "more tact." They need an educational plan and targeted support, which she said is hard to provide when they are mixed with the general population.

Gender perspective in the women's unit

Women are a minority in the prison and, the director said, also need specialised attention. She wants to finish bringing a gender perspective to the women's unit and to the centre's general services.

She gave one example. Her predecessor ruled that female inmates could work in the staff cafeteria, so that women were not excluded from that job. But the changing rooms were not designed for them. A temporary solution is in place, but she wants the facilities adapted so women can take any job in the prison.

Vulnerable inmates and a pilot unit

Puig de les Basses is the only centre with a Compensatory Intervention Unit (UIC) for men. The unit supports inmates in vulnerable situations. It opened at the end of 2024 as a pilot, with a women's version at the Brians 1 prison.

Catalonia's prison authority is now evaluating the results. The director said she does not yet have the data, but she hopes the unit will continue and be extended to other prisons. According to her, inmates with several vulnerabilities find it hard to stay stable in a normal module, which affects them, staff and other inmates. She said some people who were constantly involved in incidents have become stable, with clear improvements in behaviour and emotional wellbeing.

Assaults on staff and the cyberattack

Asked about recent increases in assaults on prison officers, the director stressed prevention. That means making sure information reaches staff properly, knowing who is in each module and anticipating who may become violent. She also said the rules must be enforced.

On the cyberattack that affected the prison, she said there was no news. The case is in the hands of the police and the courts, and she has no information to share. Unions have been pressing on the issue. Her message to staff was that the attack was detected very early, it is being investigated, and for now everyone can remain calm.

The Bigger Picture

For people in the Alt Empordà, the prison is part of the local picture, even if few residents ever go inside. Its population has grown from just over 700 at opening to around 1,000 at times, and that suggests steady pressure on staff and services. It also fits with the concern about overcrowding the director described across the system.

The youth unit and the UIC point in the same direction: targeted support instead of a single approach for everyone. With 108 inmates aged 18 to 24 and a unit for about 60, it is worth watching how the plan handles that gap. The most useful signal will be the UIC evaluation. If the results support the director's view, the pilot could become a model for other Catalan prisons.

The questions over staff safety and the cyberattack remain open. That comes as crime figures in Figueres and Roses show mixed trends. Readers should watch whether the investigation produces answers, and whether the preventive measures bring down incidents against staff.