01. April 08
Today, on 1 April, the first prisoners are to arrive at Viru Prison to serve their sentence.
According to the Director of Viru Prison, Edvard Remsel, it is indeed no April fool’s joke and the first 19 prisoners will in fact arrive at the prison today.
“Hereafter we will admit up to 20 prisoners a day and by the end of May all prisoners will have arrived here," Remsel explained.
The prisoners will be brought to Viru Prison to serve their sentences mainly from Murru Prison.
Remsel said that almost all of the staff is in place, as well. “Of the 350 staff employees we today have 314 already working and we have found candidates for most of the remaining positions. Nevertheless, we do not have enough psychologists," Remsel said. “We are completely ready for taking the prisoners in.”
The size of the prison complex with its 14 buildings and the surrounding area is 16 hectares and it will have both manned and modern electronic guarding.
Viru Prison unites in itself a prison and a detention house. In total the new prison has 1000 places for prisoners in up to 2-place cells, in addition it has a 75-place open prison and a 150-place detention house. In addition to the detention cells and the living quarters of the prisoners, the prison complex also has a school, gym, rooms for social work, chapel and workshops.
