From a prison that once housed political dissidents and social activists to one of Europe’s most dangerous penitentiary’s, these Spanish prisons hold some of the countries most dangerous people.
10 – The Prison of Carabanchel
Located in the outskirts of Madrid, Carabanchel prison was one of the most infamous detention facilities in the country.
Deeply entwined with Spain’s turbulent political history, the prison was Built during Francisco Franco’s dictatorship between 1939 and 1975.
For decades, the prison stood as a reminder of the harsh realities faced by political dissidents, social activists, and marginalized communities under Franco’s rule.
Though it was demolished in 2008, the legacy of Carabanchel continues to resonate in Spain’s collective memory and once symbolized the repression and brutality of the regime.
Carabanchel was one of the largest and most notorious of many prisons built by the Franco dictatorship to suppress any form of dissent.
Designed in a panopticon style, a prison architecture that allows for constant surveillance of inmates, Carabanchel was intended to hold thousands of prisoners.
The panopticon was symbolic of Franco’s desire to exert control over every aspect of Spanish society.
The massive structure, with its imposing walls and domed central tower, became an enduring image of fear for those who opposed the dictatorship.
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Carabanchel housed thousands of political prisoners, many of whom were captured during and after the Spanish Civil War.
Republicans, communists, trade unionists, and intellectuals who opposed Franco’s authoritarian regime were imprisoned there.
The prison was notorious for its harsh conditions, including overcrowding, lack of hygiene, and physical abuse.
Inmates were often subjected to torture and brutal interrogations by Franco’s security forces and reports of beatings, forced labor, and psychological abuse were common.
Many prisoners were executed, either within the prison or after being transferred to other locations.
For others, life within Carabanchel was a slow descent into despair, as they faced long sentences with little hope of release.
Despite the brutal conditions, the prison became a center of resistance and many political prisoners organized clandestine movements inside its walls.
After Franco’s death in 1975, Spain began its transition to democracy, and the role of Carabanchel changed, while the prison continued to house common criminals, it became a powerful symbol of the repression of the dictatorship.
By the 1980’s and 1990’s, Carabanchel’s significance began to fade as Spain modernized its penal system, the prison was officially closed in 1998, and its demolition in 2008 marked the end of an era.
9 – Topas Prison
Inaugurated in 1993, Topas Prison was built to accommodate the increasing need for prison infrastructure during a time of reform in Spain’s penal system.
Unlike the historical prisons of the Franco era, such as Carabanchel, Topas represents a shift toward a more modern approach to incarceration, focusing on rehabilitation and reintegration rather than purely punitive measures.
Topas Prison was designed with a capacity to house approximately 1,200 inmates, but like many prisons in Spain, it has faced issues of overcrowding.
It accommodates inmates convicted of various crimes, ranging from petty offenses to more serious criminal acts.
The facility is divided into different modules, including a section dedicated to female prisoners, as well as a unit for inmates with mental health issues.
Its layout, which features more open spaces and better living conditions than many older prisons, reflects a more humane approach to detention.
Like many prisons, Topas has a considerable drugs problem and many inmates are addicted to methadone with the food also reported as inedible.
8 – Obert 2 Penitentiary
Opened in 1963, Obert 2 Penitentiary was another prison built during the Franco era and held a high number of political prisoners.
The prison was located in an enormous D-shaped block, with a central courtyard and sports facilities but was also a place of terror for its detainees.
Prisoners spent time being forcefully re-educated by pro-Francoist nuns and conditions were sometimes so bad, that fourteen women prisoners went on hunger strike in protest against the degrading treatment.
The implementation of new prison regulations in 1978 led too the nuns replacement by officials and penitentiary reforms led to the prison becoming a youth detention centre in 1983.
The prison was mainly responsible for mainly housing people under the age of 21 for the next 16-years and was demolished completely in 2009.
Today, the site has been re-built to a modern standard, albeit smaller as an open detention facility for youths.
7 – La Model, Barcelona
One of the most famous prisons within the modern prison system in Spain, La Model has often been in the news headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Barcelona Men’s Penitentiary Center, as it is more well-known, was officially was used as a prison until 2017.
Constructed between 1881 and 1904, was inaugurated on 9 June 1904, with its original name being Cellular Prison.
The prison featured 6 corridors that were each used for a different category of prisoner including those with adaptive behavioral issues and those in solitary confinement.
Although the prison held mostly common prisoners, it also served as a place to detain political dissidents and was used during the times of Primo de Rivera and Franco.
La model was also the place of the execution and became a symbol of repression and in 1939, hundreds of prisoners were taken to the borders with France and either executed or released.
After the escape of well-known criminal Juan Cuenca in 1984, the prison became infamous and was subject to many riots.
The penitentiary center closed permanently on 8 June 2017, and is currently used as a center of memory, open to the public for guided or unguided visits.
6 – Malaga II Penitentiary, Malaga
Covering some 349,701 square meters, this large prison is located in Andalusia and has a capacity for 1,194 inmates and 50-solitary confinement cells.
Constructed on a budget of 89 million euros in 2014, this modern prison is run by both the Spanish Ministry of the Interior and General Secretariat of Penitentiary Institutions.
The prison was initially renowned for attacks on inmates, however today, it stands empty, with most prisoners still sent to Alhaurin Prison close by.
The prison was designed to be future-proof and featured a solar plant, football stadium and numerous high-tech security features.
5 – Villa de Pedraza Prison
Located in the historic Segovian village of Pedraza, lies one of the best medieval prisons to be preserved.
Local authorities gave the old prison a makeover and turned it into a public space for visitors and residents alike.
The dark history of the prison is still on show, with the stocks and shackles that were used on permanent display.
The lower part of the prison, or the dungeon, was reserved for the most problematic prisoners and many were often thrown here from a hole in the roof.
The upper part of the dungeons was mainly used for delinquents and drunkards with the whole prison housed inside an impenetrable former Roman fortress.
4 – Alhaurin prison, Costa Del Sol
Infamous for housing some of Spain’s most dangerous inmates, Alhaurin prison is the home for many ex-pats who have Committed the worst crimes.
Riots are commonplace and attacks on inmates have been reported daily with conditions of the closed-regime reported as harsh by the governments own reports.
Category A inmates, the worst kind, eat breakfast, lunch and dinner in their 8 meter square cell where they spend 21-hours per day.
A small self contained court yard houses their rec-time for no more than 3-hours per day and during this time cells are searched every day.
Many sex offenders, mafia connected inmates, murderers and terrorists are held here, with one notable inmate being British National Tony King, known in media circles as “The Costa Killer”.
For security reasons, cells have very little furniture and the widow in the isolation cells faces the stairwell wall.
So secure is Alhaurin, that only three prisoners are held in the most secure wing, and they never se each other.
3 – Herrera de La Mancha Prison
One of the first maximum-security prisons to be built in Spain, Herrera de La Mancha is located in the municipality of Manzanares.
Completed in February 1979 and inaugurated on June 22 of the same year, the prison is known to house those too dangerous to be kept elsewhere.
Several members of the terrorist organisation known as ETA have been known to have died inside the facility and famous inmates include “The Deck Killer” and Jose Breton.
Most inmates live to Article 93 of the Penitentiary Regulations that states only three house of exercise and a further three hours for programmed activities.
2 – Sevilla II, Seville
Considered to be one of the most dangerous and miserable prisons in Europe, Seville II is reported to suffer attacks on inmates once every 19-hours.
At least four prisoners have lost their lives in 2022 due to overdoses mainly thanks to the poor control of contraband entering the prison including methadone and psychotropic drugs.
So bad are the conditions within this prison, that the Association for Human Rights, formed mainly of prisoner’s relatives, filed a complaint with the General Secretariat of Penitentiary Institutions.
Many prisoners sell their medication on the prison rec-yard and at least 40 per cent of prisoners have mental health problems.
1 – Fontcalent Prison, Alicante
Officially described as a hell-hole, Fontcalent Prison is home to many of Spain’s killers, rapists and drug barons.
Inmates are confined in cramped conditions and left terrified of outbreaks of every disease imaginable.
Mentally-ill patients are housed without proper access to psychiatrists and one prisoner was even murdered for snoring too loud on a wing.
Operating beyond its capacity of 1,000 inmates, famous faces within the prison included Crime boss John Gilligan before his release on bail in December 2020.
Legionaries disease runs rife through the prison and a gang of Morrocan’s control every aspect of prison life including the food and water supply’s to prisoners.
One of the main killers within the prison is currently HIV with prisoners on life sentence’s often the main victims.
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