Catalonia considers 700 prison places as jails hit 95%

Catalonia's prison system held 9,597 people on 31 August, leaving 419 places on its stated capacity as the Generalitat considers further modular expansion.

Laia Serra · 14 Sep 2026 · 2 min read

Catalonia's prisons were operating at 95% of their stated capacity on 31 August, with 9,597 people in custody and 10,016 places across the system, according to public Department of Justice data reported by ARA on Monday.

The narrow margin affects prisoners and prison staff first: workers told ARA that some people at Figueres prison are sleeping in the infirmary because the usual accommodation modules have no room. At Lledoners, a dozen prisoners serving isolation sanctions were placed in the admissions module during the previous week.

“There are more and more prisoners, and the space in the prisons is the same,” prison-system workers told ARA.

Modules under consideration as numbers rise

The Generalitat, Catalonia's devolved government, is considering additional modular units that could create between 600 and 700 places, ARA reported. The plan is intended to prevent the system reaching full capacity, although the newspaper said the effects of the rise are already being felt at several prisons.

The prison population has increased by 1,800 people over five years, a rise of 23%, according to ARA. The reported occupancy figure measures the system's 10,016 stated places against the number of people held on 31 August.

Mas d'Enric expansion remains due in 2028

Two new modules planned within Mas d'Enric prison at El Catllar, near Tarragona, are due to open in 2028. They are expected to provide 256 places, in two units of 128, using industrialised construction methods.

The Catalan Department of Justice plans to invest more than €22 million in the Mas d'Enric extension.
The modules will be built inside the existing prison perimeter, on a disused former football pitch.
Mas d'Enric held 935 people in May, including 889 men and 46 women, against a capacity of 1,020, according to figures provided by the government and reported by Diari de Tarragona.

The Department of Justice, led by Ramon Espadaler, has described extra prison capacity as necessary, according to Diari de Tarragona. The 256 places at Mas d'Enric would be separate from the further 600 to 700 places now being considered, ARA reported.

Primary sources: govern.cat, scientiasalut.gencat.cat. Reported by russpain.com, en.ara.cat, diaridetarragona.com, elperiodico.com, elpais.com, ara.cat, diarimes.com, lavanguardia.com.