Criminal expenses: a necessary debate
Recently, the Minister of Justice, Ramon Espadaler, provided an amazing figure during a session in Parliament: the average daily cost to maintain a prisoner in Catalonia amounts to 141.20 euros. This data has raised doubts about its veracity and use in public debate on investment in the prison system.
Transparency and comparison of costs
Knowing the costs associated with prison institutions is essential not only to ensure transparency in the use of public resources, but also to provide citizens with information that will allow them to form an informed opinion on how taxes are managed. The data provided by the Council of Europe, obtained through the University of Lausanne, offer a valuable perspective on the expense of criminal execution at European level.
Delay in data updating
Updating statistics on penitentiary costs is often affected by the complexity of the information collection process, and the latest available data is 2022. This forces us to make projections based on past trends, which can distort the current reality of costs.
Discounts and variations in spending
The analysis of the data of the Council of Europe reveals a significant discrepancy between the costs estimated by the Espadaler Minister and the official figures, with a variation that can reach 51.42 euros per internal and day if analyzed by 2022, and up to 84.52 euros if it is extracted until 2024. This difference suggests that there may be expenses that have not been properly included in the calculations of the Government.
The complexity of expenses
The figures offered by the Council of Europe cover various aspects, including security, health care, education and other services associated with the operation of prisons. This data amplitude is essential to understand the true magnitude of expenses related to the criminal system.
Increased costs in the Catalan system
The comparison of the costs between Catalonia and the rest of Spain is revealing: in the last five years, spending on an intern and day has grown by 32.9% in Catalonia, in contrast to a 19.4% increase at the state level. This means that being in a Catalan prison can be more than twice more expensive than in the facilities managed by the State.
Reintegration expectations
With such investments, it would be reasonable to wait for the indicators of reintegration of prisoners in Catalonia to exceed the state average. However, the data on criminal recidivism suggests that reintegration rates do not correspond to expectations, with 53% of recidivism in Catalonia, surpassing the European average.
Final reflections on penitentiary management
With these high costs and disappointing results, it is urgent to rethink spending strategies in the prison system. Authorities should consider which investments are really necessary to achieve the final goal of social reintegration. In addition, current managers need to be aware of their responsibility and not limited to perpetuating a system that, at the moment, does not demonstrate the expected effectiveness.
