The Mas d’Enric prison treatment board in Tarragona conducted up to fourteen assessments of the inmate who killed a cook on March 13 and then took his own life, and because of the inmate’s good conduct and development, he was allowed to take on duties in various auxiliary services. Over time, the board repeatedly reviewed his progress, balancing concerns about safety with positive indicators in his rehabilitation, which led to broader responsibilities within the facility. The decision to expand his role reflected a careful, case-by-case approach focused on his demonstrated behavior and the evolving risk assessment.
In a public appearance before the Permanent Deputation of the Parliament, Gemma Ubasart, the minister of Justice for the Generalitat, emphasized that the prisoner showed favorable evolution overall, with a notable exception: an October 2023 incident in which he punched another inmate. This single event was weighed against a larger trajectory of progress and was addressed through the prison’s disciplinary and rehabilitative processes. Ubasart stressed that this isolated altercation did not define the entire period of his custody, and it was treated as part of ongoing management rather than a systemic failure.
Furthermore, Ubasart noted that, up to the present moment, there have been no formal or informal complaints from the cook about the inmate. She also stated that the prisoner did not suffer from mental health disorders that would have predisposed him to violence. The inmate had worked with the victim for a total of three years and nine months, across two separate employment periods within the facility, a detail that adds complexity to the professional relationship that existed between them. The narrative of this working history is presented to contextualize the human dynamics involved and to inform risk evaluations that accompany daily operations in prison settings.
The minister acknowledged that while absolute risk cannot be eliminated, the information gathered to date, along with empirical experience from thousands of similar cases handled by the system, made the fatal outcome on March 13 difficult to foresee. The statement underscores the inherently unpredictable nature of human behavior within custodial environments and the continuous effort to refine monitoring, support, and intervention strategies to prevent tragedy while balancing security and rehabilitation goals. This case prompts ongoing reflection on procedures for decision-making about inmate assignments and the evaluation of potential risk, as well as the need for transparent review mechanisms to learn from such events and improve future practice.