The criminal process · Navarra & all of Spain
Prison law: the defence continues inside
Once the sentence is final, another equally important stage begins: leave permits, regimes, open regime, parole. I stay with the inmate — and their family — until the sentence is fully served.
What prison law is
It is the branch governing how a prison sentence is served: classification into regimes, leave permits, communications, transfers, disciplinary proceedings and parole. Key decisions are appealed before the Prison Supervision Judge. It is a technical field with its own deadlines and requirements, where an active defence makes the difference between serving the whole sentence inside and progressing towards freedom step by step.
The road to freedom: regimes, permits and parole
Every inmate is classified into a treatment regime. The second grade is the ordinary regime; the third grade is semi-liberty — working outside and sleeping at home at weekends. Ordinary leave permits can generally be requested after serving a quarter of the sentence with good behaviour. Parole normally requires third grade and three quarters of the sentence served, with early-access routes in certain cases.
Every refusal can be appealed. Every classification review is an opportunity. My job is to prepare each application thoroughly — reports, documented ties, a release plan — and fight the appeals before the Prison Supervision Judge when the administration says no.
How I work — with the inmate and the family
- Prison visits, in Navarra and at any prison in Spain.
- Applications and appeals: leave permits, progression to third grade, parole, transfers and sentence accumulation.
- Defence in disciplinary proceedings inside prison.
- Constant communication with the family, in their language: what has been filed, what to expect and what comes next.
- Assistance in English, Spanish, Romanian and Russian — including for foreign inmates.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about prison in Spain
When can the third grade (open regime) be requested?
There is no single moment: it depends on the sentence, time served, prognosis and circumstances such as ties or payment of civil liability. For sentences over five years a security period may apply. What matters is preparing the application well and appealing refusals — classification is reviewed periodically.
What are prison leave permits and when are they granted?
Temporary exits from prison, up to several days, that prepare for life in freedom. As a rule they require second or third grade, a quarter of the sentence served and good behaviour. They are requested with reasons, and refusals can be appealed before the Prison Supervision Judge.
Our relative is in a Spanish prison — what can we do from outside?
Much more than people think: appoint chosen counsel for the prison-law follow-up, gather the documentation of ties (work, housing, family support) that underpins permits and progression, and keep orderly communication with the prison. That is exactly how I work: with the inmate inside and the family outside — in your language.
Can several sentences be combined?
Yes. Legal accumulation can cap the maximum time to be served when there are several convictions, and combination orders their service for prison-law purposes. It is a technical analysis worth doing as early as possible — it can bring the milestones of the sentence significantly closer.
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