an attack every fourteen hours

If anyone knows what happens behind bars, it’s Manuel Galisteo, who has worked as a guard at the Archidona Penitentiary Center (Málaga) for 25 years. He is the coordinator of the union Your abandonment can kill me and directly suffered violence from detainees.

And the life of criminals in prison is a great mystery full of opacity. Only entry into detained media facilities, as has been the case recently Koldo and Ábalos in Soto del Real, They highlight the experiences of the internal ecosystem of these major dependencies.

The thin line that separates order and disorder in the cells is the prison guards. Are off-road workers who must act as firefighters when there are fires, as nurses when the life of a detainee is in danger or as police officers who monitor the movements of these detainees.

Their work is not reciprocal as they would like. They are the target of the people they have to take care of. In a conversation with ABC, Galisteo explains his group’s two main problems. “THE kindness policies. Nowadays, some people feel almost better in prison than on the street,” he says.

To support this assertion, let us recall that the Ministry of Justice has just authorized laser hair removal for the trans population in Catalan prisons. A decision which has sparked controversy within this group of workers who consider that their demands are falling on deaf ears while prisoners’ benefits are increasing.

And this type of news undermines the minds of officials who see that there is no investment in prison security. “I am not saying that the prisoner should not benefit from comfort, but we must invest in more treatments, educators, lawyers or social workers, which is essential if we want criminals to evolve and obtain a third degree,” he says.

Galisteo is harsh in his statements and declares “openly” that both Fernando Grande-Marlaska and Ángel Luis Ortiz, the head of the penitentiary institutions, are “scoundrels” for not guaranteeing the “safety and health” of their group. “Year after year, we break attack records: one every 14 hours,” he adds.

An example of this is the episode that occurred this week in the Albolote Prison Center (Granada). An inmate kicked the department head who caused him to fall down the stairs. “Is this what we want for our society?” they ask this union which protects workers’ rights.

The attacks they suffered from detainees left their mark and their injuries forced them to be on sick leave. But there are other aspects, more unknown and often overlooked, which affect them even more: coercion and threats against their families.

Threats against civil servants and their families

He prisoners profile Today, it has mutated and evolved over the years. Drug addicts convicted of theft and robbery have given way to violent members of foreign criminal organizations. Some prisoners have already used coercion abroad to assert their interests and do not hesitate to use it behind bars.

“I’m going to cut my neck if you don’t call the doctor” or “I’m going to beat the shit out of you because it’s going to come out of here.” These are some of the phrases most heard by authorities in Spanish prisons. Many fly away and fail to materialize, but these threats take a heavy toll on the mental health of workers. What if this happened? this is the question that concerns them.

“It wasn’t the drug addict from the neighborhood who did this to you, but today’s gangs have a lot of power. They already have burned my colleagues’ cars and violence increases. “They also don’t give us any means of not recognizing each other in the street,” Galisteo explains.

The members of this group, just for this work, are already exposing their families. Most of them live near their location and are familiar with the criminals and their surroundings. They have the impression They follow their customs and routines but they don’t have the tools in order to stop the fear of this accusation.

For some time now, they have expressed their demands to the Secretariat of Penitentiary Institutions, which, for the moment, have not been heard. They strongly demand that we provide them with means to avoid attacks. One of their demands is the inclusion of Tasers among their equipment.

First degree prisoners

Another of the fundamental pillars they need must be taken into account risk profession. The injured Granada prison official was over 60 years old. If this requirement were formalized, the workforce would be rejuvenated. In addition, they also require consideration law enforcement officers so that any aggression results in more criminal sanctions for its perpetrators. “At least they would think about it a little more,” says the union.

Among his criticisms of “politics of goodness” They claim that in the past there were 1,300 first degree detainees, which is the closed regime. Their number is now 400. All this while the prison population is becoming more and more complex with Latino or Moroccan gangs. “The policy is that under no circumstances are detainees assigned to this grade,” he laments.

A measure which means that prisons are a “pressure cooker” while leaders give themselves “medals” in front of Europe for having reduced the number of troublesome prisoners. A contrast. A significant decrease as the number of officials attacked increases.