ABSTRACT
This chapter provides information on the evolution of the prison population and alternatives to prison in Spain. We distinguish and discuss the Franco dictatorship (1939-1975), the democratic constitutional period (1976-1995), and the new criminal code (1995) enacted under the socialist government. We then endeavour to provide an explanation for the enormous increase in the prison population in the 1980s. In addition, we seek to explain the alternatives to prison established in the latest criminal code and relate them to debates elsewhere in Europe.
