Spain's Congress recognises prison officers as law-enforcement agents in cross-party deal backed by 324 votes

The vote and the deal

The Congress of Deputies approved the reform of the General Penitentiary Organic Law with 324 votes in favour, 19 against and 2 abstentions. The initiative, which still requires Senate approval before publication in the Official State Gazette (BOE), was the result of an agreement between the Socialist Party (PSOE), the People's Party (PP) and the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), later joined by Junts, Vox and Sumar. The left-wing pro-independence ERC and EH Bildu voted against, while Podemos and the Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG) also stayed out.

“It was not easy to reach an agreement.”

PP deputy Ana Belén Vázquez Blanco, who spearheaded the initiative, celebrated the broad support and thanked the unions and other parties. Socialist deputy José Luis Aceves described the vote as a message of respect and recognition for those who guarantee security in prisons.

What the new status means

The reform gives prison officers the legal status of “agents of authority”. Their reports will have a presumption of veracity in disciplinary proceedings, and their professional identity will be protected. The administration must compensate them for physical or material damage suffered in the line of duty, and specific theoretical and practical training will be mandatory. If an officer faces criminal proceedings, they will be held separately from other detainees. These guarantees also apply to non-sworn prison staff.

“This chamber sends a message of respect and recognition to those who guarantee security, order and the functioning of our penitentiary administrations.”

Catalonia, which has devolved prison powers, had already approved a similar change in January. The path to the law was not straightforward: a 2024 Socialist proposal stalled, and the agreement was only unlocked in May 2026 in the Interior Committee before reaching the full chamber.

Political climate amid criticism

Despite the unusual consensus, the debate was laced with electoral overtones and mutual recriminations. PP speakers attacked the government of Pedro Sánchez and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, accusing the ministry of being mired in corruption. Vox deputy Ángel García Gómez told prison officers in the public gallery that the law was “one more step” but “not the finish line”, while ERC's Pilar Vallugera warned of “an excess of veracity and power”.

Union demands and unresolved issues

Trade unions have long pushed for the change, citing deteriorating working conditions, violent attacks by inmates, and cases of murder, strangulation and stabbing. Ana Vázquez specifically named the brother of a woman who was stabbed to death in the kitchen of the Mas d'Enric prison in Tarragona in March 2024. Most party spokespeople acknowledged that the law, while significant, is only a first step. Pending claims include increasing staff, modernising infrastructure, improving prison healthcare, raising salaries and classifying prison work as a high-risk profession.

“This is one more step toward the just demands you have been calling for an era.”

In favour324

Against19

Abstentions2

In favour

324 votes

Against

19 votes

Abstentions

2 votes

Data from the article text

Next steps

The bill now moves to the Senate, where it is expected to pass without major changes. Once approved and published in the BOE, possibly before the summer, the law will enter into force. The broad parliamentary majority suggests that the final approval is a formality, though all parties stressed that much remains to be done for prison workers.