Switzerland – Hundreds of volunteers as test inmates in the new Zurich…
(MENAFN-Swissinfo) Test inmates can choose between halal, vegetarian and meat menus. © Keystone / Christian Beutler
More than 600 people have applied to be test inmates for a newly opened correctional facility in Zurich, which has space for 241 pre-trial detainees.
This content was published on February 11, 2022 – 12:07 AM February 11, 2022 – 12:07 AM swissinfo.ch/mga
Successful volunteers experience real prison conditions between March 24th and 27th. Inmates are required to surrender electronic devices, including cell phones, and are provided with halal, vegetarian, or meat menus. Strip searches upon arrival are optional and successful applicants cannot transfer their Get into Jail pass to others.
The cantonal authorities came up with the unusual idea of putting the facility and staff through a dry run before the prison begins accepting real inmates in April. Some of the guards and other staff were rehired.
The deadline for volunteering as an inmate is later this month. But the newspaper Le Temps reports that the number of applications from residents of the canton is already almost three times the capacity of the prison.
Prison director Marc Eiermann told the newspaper that volunteers should not expect a “holiday camp” but could leave at any time.
He added that the pilot should be a good way to “ensure the smooth functioning of day-to-day operations and allow wardens to become familiar with the facility.”
The project is only open to adults residing in the Canton of Zurich and applicants must agree to a background check to verify their eligibility to participate.
The new Zurich West prison was built, among other things, to defuse criticism of the prison conditions for pre-trial detainees in the canton.
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