The unions of the Tahíche prison have denounced the "serious shortcomings" suffered by this penitentiary center and have stated that the officials are unable to respond to the needs of the more than 500 inmates who remain in this prison. These criticisms are launched on the same day that the general secretary of Penitentiary Institutions, Mercedes Gallizo, arrives in Lanzarote to inaugurate the new phase of the penitentiary center. In addition, the officials have taken advantage of this visit to concentrate at the gates of the prison demanding Gallizo's resignation.
Both officials and unions have shown their "discontent" with the management carried out by Gallizo. Thus, FSP-UGT, USO-ACAIP and CSIF have evidenced the "serious deficiencies, shortcomings and unfair situations" that occur in this prison.
According to the unions in a statement, the origin of most of the problems in the Tahíche prison has been "the regrettable management that was given at the time to deal with the constant overcrowding that the center suffered". The island inmates had to be transferred to other prisons, "disassociating them from their environment and family environment", they have denounced.
The unions recall that the solution to the overcrowding of Tahíche devised by Penitentiary Institutions was to carry out "some expansion and reform works that, in the long run, have served to know how inadequate and ineffective this decision was". "The works were carried out in two phases, the first of which contemplated in its initial project the construction of two residential modules, and not four, as was finally carried out in an improvised manner, in view of the limited capacity that the center was going to house", assure the union sections FSP-UGT, USO-ACAIP and CSIF.
In this sense, the unions have assured that the works meant that the non-residential modules, such as the income, isolation, communications, socio-cultural center and, especially, nursing, cannot respond to the needs of the more than 500 inmates, who could occupy this prison. And the problem is that these modules were not expanded in line with the rest of the prison.
A prison "half finished"
Thus, they have stated that during these last two years, since the first phase was completed, both inmates and the staff of the penitentiary center have had to suffer "the serious shortcomings that entails living and working in a prison that is half finished, not being able to count on several departments, such as the socio-cultural center and the sports center, whose existence is of vital importance for the training and personal development of the inmates, the basis of social reintegration".
"We cannot make use of the three elevators installed in the nursing, communications and external offices departments, as they are inoperative until the completion of the second phase. During this period there have also been innumerable breakdowns and structural failures, such as humidity, malfunctioning telephone lines and power outages that blocked mechanical access to the modules, despite being newly opened facilities", the unions have denounced before the visit of Mercedes Gallizo.
Cover the needs
All these shortcomings that, according to the unions, exist in the Tahíche prison, not only affect the infrastructure but also the area of personnel, both officials and labor, that appears on staff. "Currently we have a list of jobs that seems insufficient to cover the needs required for the normal operation of an establishment of these characteristics", the union sections FSP-UGT, USO-ACAIP and CSIF have assured.
Finally, they wanted to emphasize that the prison collective is aware of the economic crisis that the country is going through, "assuming in solidarity the budget cuts that affect this administration". However, they do not understand why Mercedes Gallizo is coming this Monday to inaugurate the Penitentiary Center for the third time "with the consequent expense in personnel and transport allowances". In this sense, the unions have assured that this function could have been carried out by the Government delegate in the Canary Islands, Carolina Darias, whose trip would be cheaper.
