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The Justizzentrum Leoben is a court and prison complex located in the quaint city of Leoben, Austria. From what I can tell, this has got to be the most luxurious prison on the planet. The complex houses about 200 prisoners in conditions that are far nicer than most law students’ living accomodations.
I think the prison is for low-risk offenders, since the maximum period of incarceration there is 18 months. On the other hand, the place is so nice that it probably encourages a high rate of re-offending!
Here are some photos of the complex:
More photos can be found here, where the above pictures were taken from.
In their spare time, the prisoners at the Justizzentrum Leoben can make use of the walking yard, the two fitness rooms, the table tennis facilities, or the multimedia room. Alternatively, they can enjoy some quiet time in the library or multifaith chapel.
In addition to the classy Ikea-inspired accommodations, the prisoners apparently get lengthy conjugal visits too! The translation of this article about the prison says:
Also a “long-term visit” is offered – whereby a prisoner can be maximally 24 hours long with partner or family in an area unimpaired – which already provided for hot discussions.
I can only assume that “hot discussions” is a euphemistic translation of “conjugal visit.” Since I can’t read German, I had to rely on Altavista’s (rather poor) translation of the prison’s wiki page for the details of this post. Please correct me if you are able to read German and notice any mistakes.
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9 Responses to “World’s Most Luxurious Prison”
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Hi! The original German says ‘was bereits für heiße Diskussionen sorgte’ – ‘which has already led to heated discussions’, meaning that the Austrians are outraged that prisoners can have unsupervised 24-hour family visits. A Wuzzler is a table football machine.
The glowing description comes from a Georgian website.
I see some of the inmates have not yet been tried, and others, as you write, have sentences up to 18 months.
MM:
Thanks for the translation, though it kind of bursts my bubble a little bit. :)
I liked imagining that “hot discussions” meant something more lascivious.
Am I the only one feeling a little creeped out by the ASCII smilies painted on the ceiling in the first photo?
‘Conjugal visit’ is a hot topic in NZ amongst politicians and law reformers whereas hia in Fiji we’re still into Correctional and Rehab mode that such prisons as in Leoben, Austria will attract many, many re-offenders, unlesss this is a prison for only first timers or those awaiting trial on remand – it is an attraction alright.
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law is cool.its nice
Am i the only one feeling creepy of the fact that those who meant to be in a prison are criminals not tourists in a vacation. Of course the conditions of an avarage prison should fulfill the requirements of the individuals as long as i believe in human rights and human dignity however still the idea of a “Luxorious Prison” is far above from my understanding. Even more than 3/4 of the people in the planet are living in worse conditions than the so-called prisoners that will be accomodated. God! you Europeans!
The sentence of imprisonment is the removal of freedom. Being locked up does the job. This prison does that perfectly; except it offers comfort, natural light and good architecture.
In many other prisons there are extra “punishments” such as absence of openings, tiny spaces and bad architecture.
This prison simply does what it is supposed to do without adding suppressions that are not stated in the sentences of prisoners.
p.s. I would loose the faces on the ceiling though
Since this article was published, a much nicer, more posh prison has been built in Halden, Norway. Here’s a look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiZUvDMdnik