Opening Virtual Windows In The Prison Walls: Reflections On The Digitalisation Of Prison Communications In Relation To Covid-19

COVID-19's arrival has been a challenge for prisons around the world. As in other countries, one of the measures adopted in Spain was the cancellation of visits by relatives and other close friends to prevent the spread of the virus inside prisons. This measure has evidenced the lack of technology in Spanish prisons, as they have struggled to offer visits through telematic communications as compensation for the supervised visits. The main objective of this article is to reflect on the low level of technology in Spanish prisons regarding the situation generated by COVID-19. With this aim, we start by describing the prison legislation on communications, establishing that, nowadays, there is no adequate regulation that allows the use of technology for a more normalised contact with the outside, being visits, telephone calls, and letters the only methods available. Subsequently, we review the measures adopted by the Spanish prison administration during the state of alarm caused by the pandemic, showing the obstacles that prisoners and their families have faced. Next, we present some of the arguments that explain the resistance to digitisation exerted by the prison administration, mainly focused on the issue of security. Finally, we defend the adoption of new technology by prisons, considering that it can contribute to the reintegration of prisoners, increasing punishment's humanity, without becoming a risk to their safety.