Zona Franca's new prison: a centre without walls or bars that is committed to rehabilitation

This is the new open-regime prison centre, which will open in the first half of 2026 to accommodate inmates who remain in Wad-Ras and Trinitat Vella, and will mark the definitive closure of Sant Andreu prison.

The 13,000 m² building, with capacity for 800 people, resembles a residence more than a prison: it has no bars on the windows or walls topped with razor wire. Its two symmetrical modules include a dining room, library, gymnasium, activity rooms and training spaces. Access to the sleeping-floor levels will be controlled by cards and biometric systems.

The centre’s philosophy is clear: support reintegration. Inmates will only spend the night there and will have individualised programmes combining activities outside and inside the premises. Psychologists, educators and social workers will closely follow every case, aware that moving to an open regime is often a critical moment.

Statistics support the model: only one in ten prisoners reoffends after passing through an open-regime centre, compared with 20% across the Catalan prison system.

This project does not seek to punish, but to offer a second chance with its eyes on life beyond walls which, in this case, no longer exist.