Civil Guard Union: Unsafe Prisoner Guarding Triples Escapes at Canary Hospitals
The Civil Guard's main union, AUGC, has condemned the "unsuitable and unsafe" conditions for guarding prisoners at two Canary Islands hospitals, warning of increased escape risks, privacy violations, and danger to staff and public, especially after hospital escapes tripled in 2024.
The Civil Guard's main union, the Unified Association of the Civil Guard (AUGC), says that the conditions for guarding prisoners at two major hospitals in the Canary Islands – the University Hospital of the Canary Islands (HUC) and Nuestra Señora de La Candelaria Hospital (Hunsc) – are not good enough. They have raised these concerns with Health Minister Esther Monzón and the heads of both hospitals in Tenerife.
The AUGC explains that prisoners are often guarded in "unsuitable and unsafe" places like public waiting rooms, corridors, and other shared areas.
The union warns that this situation makes it easier for prisoners to escape. It also puts healthcare staff, other patients and visitors, the guards themselves, and even the prisoners at greater risk.
Another issue, according to the AUGC, is that prisoners' privacy is lost. When they are guarded in public spaces, often in shackles, other people can easily identify them as prisoners.
The AUGC points out that Prison Regulations state inmates have a right to "dignity and privacy," and their status should be kept private from others. In their letter to the Ministry of Health, they also demand that prisoners receive medical care more quickly than they do now.
The association adds that prisoners often have to wait for many hours, which further increases the security risks mentioned earlier.
Official rules clearly state that prisoners should spend as little time as possible outside of prison, especially in places without proper security.
The AUGC reports that in 2024, the number of prisoner escapes from hospitals or clinics tripled. These escapes made up 60% of all recorded escapes that year.
Finally, union representatives for the Civil Guard criticize that they have not yet heard back from the Ministry of Health or the officials at the HUC and Hunsc hospitals.
The document was also sent to Mavi Bernaola, director of Tenerife II prison, and Colonel Ángel Sanz Coronado, who leads the Civil Guard in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Colonel Sanz Coronado is the only one who has replied so far, agreeing that the current facilities "could be much better" for prisoner security and privacy.