Balearic prison population is on the rise

Joan Collins THE Balearic prison population consists of 1'456 people, which is a rise of 1.5 percent from December 31 2005 according to figures published by the Prison Officers Union ACAIP. The number of people in Spanish prisons has risen so far this year in 14 autonomous regions, especially in Murcia and Ceuta. It has only fallen in Cantabria and Castilla-La Mancha and has not altered in Galicia and Melilla. According to the ACAIP the prison population in Spain has risen by 1'171 people between January 1 and March 17, a rise of 1.9 percent. By autonomous region, in addition to the rises in Murcia and Ceuta (10.1 and 10.5 percent respectively), the number of prisoners rose in La Rioja (7.7 percent) and Navarra (6 percent). On the other hand, falls in the prison population were only recorded in Cantabria, where it fell by 4.4 percent, and in Castilla-La Mancha where it fell only slightly (0.3 percent). In absolute terms, the maximum number of prisoners is to be found in Andalucia, which has 13'000 on March 17, followed by Catalonia with 8'601, and Madrid with 8'084. At the other end of the scale is Navarra with 229, and La Rioja with 390, Ceuta (261) and Melilla (323).