Spanish prisons: a quarter of foreign inmates are Moroccan

Colombians constitute the second most represented nationality with 1,502 inmates (11%), followed by Romanians (1,156 inmates, or 8%) and Algerians (1,000 inmates, or 7%). Other nationalities are also present, but in smaller numbers: Ecuadorians (439), Dominicans (392), Peruvians (368), Senegalese (309), Brazilians (259), Albanians (291), Venezuelans (230) and Italians (208).

The Community of Madrid is at the top of the Spanish regions that host the largest number of foreign inmates, with 3,356 people incarcerated in its prisons, or 24% of the total. This concentration is notably explained by the presence of major penitentiary centers, such as that of Soto del Real, which depends on the National Court, a jurisdiction specialized in cases of terrorism, corruption and organized crime.

Andalusia (2,652 inmates), the Valencian Community (1,845) and Castile and León (1,688) complete the podium of regions with the highest rate of incarceration of foreigners. The Canary Islands (877), Aragon (714), Galicia (597), the Balearic Islands (589) and the Murcia region (518) close the march.

In total, some 13,944 people currently incarcerated in Spain are of foreign nationality.