The Basque Government will allocate two million euros to housing resources for semi-released prisoners

The Minister of Equality, Justice and Social Policies of the Basque Government Beatriz Artolazabal has submitted a budget of 529 million euros by 2022, with a greater weight of social politics and the incorporation of the prison management. This budget represents a 15% increase with respect to the previous year.

“Without a doubt, the main change is the ambitious incorporation into the 2022 budget of the new transfer of management of penitentiary institutions assumed by the Basque Government just a month ago,” Artolazabal stressed in a press conference held this Thursday in the Government Vasco to give details of the figures that his Department will handle throughout 2022.

Thus, it has announced that it will allocate two million euros to increase in housing resources, either for purchase or for rent, that the Justice department will manage to enhance the Basque prison model. The Basque Government has already announced that it would promote semi-release regimes for the re-socialization of prisoners in its new penitentiary model.

“We want to have sufficient means and our own resources to facilitate the treatment of convicted persons and avoid delaying their passage to a situation of semi-freedom,” he explained.

Another novelty will be the “significant increase in the budget for Remember“Thus, the Basque Institute of Memory will have almost 5 million euros (This year it has had 2 million). According to the counselor, “thanks to this increase”, “it will be possible to advance significantly in the exhibition projects that Gogora has marked in its action plan”.

Along with this, another of the chapters to highlight is investments, since there will be an increase of eleven million: “We will have 23 million for investments, almost doubling the 12 of the previous year,” said the counselor.

Area by area

Justice it will take most of it, 280 million euros, which is 53% of the budget. 70 million will go to the Basque Penitentiary Centers, with more than 30 million for the personnel chapter and another 40 for the programs and investments required by prison management. Likewise, the Basque Agency for Social Reintegration – Aukerak will be endowed with 15 million euros.

On the other hand, adaptation of gender violence courts their reform process will culminate in 2022, for which they will obtain 440,000 euros. And the Victim Attention Service will have a new tender of 1.2 million, with which the Zurekin accompaniment program will be consolidated, focused on women victims of sexist violence.

The digitization and modernization of Justice is another section that has special attention, with the implementation of the Electronic Judicial File through the AVANTIUS system.

As the counselor has explained, the largest amount of the budgets will be taken by Justice, for the personnel chapter; However, the true weight of the Department will once again fall on the area of Social politics, which receives almost 40% of the budget, discounting chapter I.

As stated by the counselor, the item destined to BE, with more personnel attending on 900 840 111 and with the incorporation of a specific line for new situations of sexual violence. And the implementation of piloting in Araba of the Barnahus model, to attend to minors who are victims of sexual abuse.

In addition, BetiON It will increase its allocation with the aim of reaching all lonely elderly people and items will be incorporated to co-finance projects presented to European funds such as the European Longevity Pole, Bizitza Betea, OK at home or electronic health records, among others. .

The item will be doubled to meet the needs of the energy poverty, and an additional 10 million will be earmarked for AES and two million more for the Inor Atzean Utzi Gabe fund.

In addition, with the processing of the Equality Law, which will include the creation of a new benefit for minors who are orphaned by sexist violence, 25,000 euros will be set aside for this purpose, subject to increase as it is a subjective right.

The program Step One, born in the framework of the covid-19, the Directorate of Migration and Asylum will receive one million euros to guarantee its continuity. While also within the framework of the strategy SupportTo promote the independent life of young people without a family support network, it will receive 170,000 euros for those who leave the Basque juvenile justice system.

Precisely, the emancipation of young people is one of the great challenges of the Department of Justice. It manages it through its Youth Directorate, which will receive two million to develop four programs to help them start a new stage in their life.

And as regards Emakunde, the counselor explained that “Equality is the transversal key in our entire Department, being present in all the areas that I have been presenting to you”. Among the projects to be highlighted, Beatriz Artolazabal has highlighted “the consolidation of strategic projects such as Nahiko, Beldur Barik or Gizonduz, or the subsidies aimed at women’s associations and for the prevention of sexist violence”.

Finally, the counselor has referred to 2022 as a “key” year to finalize the agreement process of a Social and Citizen Pact for equality and against sexist violence, from the Generation Equality initiative.