Virginia Barcones attends the commemoration ceremony in Soria prison on the occasion of the festivity of La Merced, patron of penitentiary institutions

• The short-term forecast for the arrival of more officials is the opening of residential module number five and a multi-purpose module • The center has 238 inmates distributed in residential modules 6, 7 and 8, plus Nursing and Income • During the event five honorable mentions have been awarded in addition to the Bronze Medal of Social Merit in Prisons to the NGO Pastoral Penitentiary

September 22, 2023.- The delegate of the Government in Castilla y León, Virginia Barcones, has attended in the prison of Soria the events scheduled to commemorate the festivity of Our Lady of Mercy, patron of Penitentiary Institutions. The short-term forecast for the Soriano penitential center is the opening of the residential module number five and another polyvalent before the arrival of new officials and inmates.

The delegate of the Government has been accompanied in the act by the subdelegate of the Government in Soria, Miguel Latorre Zubiri, as well as by the director of the center, Narciso Pérez García, among other authorities.

The Soria Penitentiary Center has 238 inmates, 227 convicts and 11 preventive inmates, distributed in residential modules 6, 7 and 8, as well as Nursing and Income. Of that total, 142 occupy a job with some remuneration. This means that almost 60% of inmates carry out some kind of work, whether it is productive workshops or internal workshops such as cooking, economato or auxiliary activities.

During the past year, the number of inmates enrolled in different courses of Adult School, secondary school, baccalaureate, training cycles, university degrees or university access for people over 25 years of age increased. In the 21-22 academic year, 52 inmates were enrolled. In the course 22-23 that number was 69. For this course 23-24, the number of inmates who register for an educational activity will be increased.

Within this catalogue of reintegration actions, new programs have been launched, such as the Intervention Program with Gender Violence Aggressors (PRIA) as well as the Sexual Assault Control Program (PCAS), which begins in October. These programs are intended to combat two aspects that are so sensitive to society and that women suffer, such as gender violence and sexual assaults.

In addition, treatment programs to combat drug addiction, alcoholism and violent behavior are maintained. Programs such as the Health Education, Dehabituation and Relapse Prevention program that is developed in collaboration with the Red Cross or the Comprehensive Care Program for Mental Patients that is developed together with Asovica.

The Soria Penitentiary Center, which among its workshops is the elaboration of a magazine, will carry out in 2023 up to 14 scheduled departures, 10 completed and four in the future, an activity that until recently was not carried out and of which more has been strengthened thanks to the collaboration of Caritas, Red Cross among other associations.

During 2023, a number of on-the-job training courses were held, involving 40 inmates, stacker and pallet truck drivers, forklift truck drivers and food handlers. These three training courses that are giving such good results have already been authorized in 2024. “We talk about very useful courses because there are companies that find it difficult to find professionals who handle this machinery,” said the government delegate.

The Soria prison has 684 cells. It develops its activity with three open modules in addition to Nursing and Income. Faced with the arrival of more officials and more interns, the short-term forecast is the opening of residential module number five and another multipurpose module. “The fact that the prison operates with a greater number of open modules is one of the objectives we have set ourselves,” said Virginia Barcones.

The delegate has highlighted the work carried out by the officials. The prison world is a complex and multi-faceted structure that revolves around the internal one, which must be given comprehensive assistance. Civil servants and professional staff are particularly important in this regard. “Thanks to their effort and involvement, they manage to overcome the daily difficulties and attend to the prison population,” Barcones stressed.

At Soria Prison, 181 professionals work between career officers (142) and trainee officers (39). To them must be added 13 workers of labor personnel.

In conclusion, the Government delegate in Castilla y León congratulated the five prison officials who, during the event in honor of Our Lady of Mercy, received recognition for their work. These are two mentions for 25 years of service in Penitentiary Institutions for José Melendo Cuenca (Master of Workshop); and Jesús Redondo Pérez (Coordinator of Internal Service). Three mentions for the excellent service provided to César Molina Mínguez (Coordinator of Internal Service), Rubén Molina Marco (Manager of Administrative Area); and Miguel Aparicio Lallana (Head of Mixed Area).

To these must be added the one granted to the NGO ‘Pastoral Penitentiary’. “My sincere thanks for the job well done and many congratulations to all the members of the Spanish penitentiary system, especially the inmates and workers of the penitentiary centers and social insertion centers of Castilla y León,” he said.