The Federation of Services CCOO in the Canary Islands ha denounced this Friday that a official in it Penitentiary Center from Tenerife suffered injuries yesterday after being hit with a broomstick by a prisonerwhich represents a new attack after the one registered on November 23.
The attack occurred in module 2, for maladjusted inmates, in charge of an inmate with a mental disorder and addiction problems who made an “extemporaneous” claim, as CCOO indicated this Friday in a statement. The head of services, who attended the scene, suffered another attack with a knife that had no consequences, the union added.
For the union organization, these events once again highlight “the serious deficiencies” of the penitentiary institutions and of this center in particular due to multiple causes, such as the overcrowding of the center with more than 200 inmates over its capacity, which prevents optimal internal reclassification.
Added to this is the stoppage of referrals to other penitentiary centers for the internal population without ties to the island or to their destination, already approved by the management center, as well as the lack of personnel and the absence of a psychiatric unit or permanent specialist in the prison. penitentiary center, despite its legal provision. This means that the mentally ill “end up scattered” throughout the prison modules or, in the best of cases, in the infirmaries.
The union also alludes to the lack of specific training for prison staff to deal with this type of inmates and of sufficient resources and protocols, as well as “the non-existent” application of the Occupational Risk Prevention Law.
For this reason, FSC-CCOO reiterates the need to take urgent measures such as the resizing of staff, the creation of training programs for officials and the repeal or modification of the Specific Protocol for Action Against Aggression so that, in a comprehensive manner that includes risk prevention and security, the exponential growth of attacks in our area is addressed. “No less important is providing legal and psychological attention to officials after an attack, whether physical or verbal,” adds CCOO.
