Another way of doing things is possible

Catalonia boasts the most advanced prison psychiatry network in Europe, a national benchmark for coordinated work between the Departments of Health and Justice. This model, developed over the last twenty years, guarantees the constitutional and human right of every person to receive treatment for their mental disorder under the same conditions, whether inside or outside a prison.

It has been a long road. In 1998, people with mental disorders in Catalan prisons were cared for in modules called infirmaries and subjected to a regime almost identical to that of ordinary inmates. By 2005, adolescents with mental health problems received only outpatient care, facing numerous difficulties in joining rehabilitation and social reintegration programs.

In this monograph we wanted to explain what process has allowed this change , which is exceptional because it is not widespread throughout the Spanish State, and what the current reality is regarding the care of people with mental disorders within prisons and juvenile justice centers.

Prisons and juvenile detention centers are a world unknown to most of society, and the reality of these centers is far removed from the ideas one might get when taking a guided tour, for example, of the Modelo prison in Barcelona, now empty.

Within prisons and juvenile justice centers there is a very significant number of people with mental disorders, including addictions, who are cared for by a group of professionals who, in addition to being dedicated, are highly specialized in their work.

We have tried to reflect this reality, which is very positive overall, but also to highlight the challenges that still lie ahead.

We invite you to explore this special issue keeping in mind two quotes that could summarize what inspires the daily work of mental health, prison, and juvenile justice professionals:

"The degree of civilization of a society is measured by the way it treats its prisoners," Fyodor Dostoevsky

"Some people look at the world and say, 'Why?' Others look at the world and say, 'Why not?'" - George Bernard Shaw