September 22, 2023.- The Burgos Penitentiary Center celebrated this morning the feast of the patron saint of the Penitentiary Institution, Our Lady of Mercy, with an institutional act in the Royal Monastery of San Agustín.
Before the event began, the deputy delegate of the Government, Pedro de la Fuente, thanked “the exemplary daily work of the 250 employees who offer the most faithful sample of the degree of consolidation of our democratic system.” He also stressed that “the latest offers of public employment approved by the Government of Spain, with more than 5,500 places approved since June 2018, are resolving the personnel deficit in the different centers of the country and therefore 25 new professionals have been incorporated to the center of Burgos in the last year”.
De la Fuente also stressed the constant collaboration of the penitentiary center with the other institutions and administrations that has crystallized into relevant projects such as the future implementation in Burgos of the headquarters of the school for training prison canine guides for all units dependent on the General Secretariat of Penitentiary Institutions.
At the event, which counted on the speeches of the director of the Burgos Penitentiary Center, Elena Ramos, and the deputy delegate of the Government, the silver medal for penitentiary merit has been awarded to Valentín Gómez Domínguez, Andrés Álamo Portugal and Ignacio Javier López Alonso all of them destined in the Penitentiary Center of San Sebastián (Martutene) in the hardest years of terrorism; the bronze medal for penitentiary merit to Salvador González Ibeas and the bronze medal for penitentiary merit to the local police. In addition, eight officials have received an honorable mention, two of them for reaching twenty-five years of service.
In his speech, De la Fuente stressed that the Spanish penitentiary system is one of the most effective in the European Union, as evidenced by its recidivism rate: 80 percent of people who leave prison do not re-commit crimes, according to an investigation carried out by the Central Penitentiary of Observation.”
In addition, he recalled that article 25 of the Constitution directs custodial sentences towards reinsertion and re-education. In this way, the deputy delegate pointed out, “reeducation is an indispensable part of the tasks that are self-imposed on us as managers and has demanded “the necessary collaboration of the whole society”. Likewise, De la Fuente has emphasized the important impetus received by the programs of restorative justice and the reintegration of inmates in recent years.”
For her part, the director of the Burgos Penitentiary Center, Elena Ramos, has pointed out that “the problems we face are the problems that are present in society, so the center must reflect the best values of society, provide quality public services and create attractive and dignified work environments for all.”
In addition, he has reviewed the main actions carried out in the last year highlighting the promotion of the application of digitalization and new technologies in the different areas of prison life. It has also claimed that the institution aims to reduce recidivism rates by deepening lines of work such as socio-labor integration, restorative justice or treatment programs in drug dependence and mental illness, as well as training in equality. He has also extended his gratitude to the many associations and entities, public and private, that participate in the different activities of the penitentiary center.