Top 10 Most Luxurious Prisons That Will Blow Your Mind
People have some common prejudices on how prison life looks like. They view prison life as being a scary and horrible place with poor living conditions. Others believe that it is a living hell where there is heavy security and continuous violation of human rights.
As much of the above are true, there are prisons in the world that would blow off your mind, from the way they look in terms of structures to how they treat the inmates in them. In fact, those prisons offer a better life than of a standard citizen. As a result, most of the inmates prefer remaining in incarceration than freedom to the harsh life realities.
There are so many luxurious prisons in the world, including:
- HMP Addiewell, Scotland.
- Halden Prison, Norway.
- San Pedro Prison, Bolivia.
- California Prison, United States of America.
But, here are the top 10 prisons in the world that are very fancy, with exotic appearances. They will leave you in awe!
10. Cebu Prison, Philippines
The Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) is a jail in the city of Cebu, in the province of Cebu, in the country of the Philippines. It is a maximum-security jail with a capacity of 1,600 prisoners, making it the largest in the country. The facility has gained attention because of the facility’s rehabilitation program since the last decade. This rehabilitation program consists of choreography exercise routines for the inmates in the facility. One of the routine is a mandatory dancing curriculum for everyone. Bedazzling.
Despite a lack of extravagant cell life, with sofas and television, prison leisure and innovation are the main aims. Inmates get to enjoy singing and dancing to a variety of musical selections. The inmates dance to themselves and participate with the audience, films, and even sign autographs. The facility even refers to them as the CPDRC Dancing inmates. Well, are they inmates or stars?
9. Leoben Justice Center, Austria
The Leoben Justice Centre is an Austrian court and jail facility in Leoben, Styria. A tiny green grass wraps around the elegant concrete and glass tower, giving it a welcoming atmosphere that contrasts with the harsh divide seen in most jails. It appears as a modernist library or office building rather than a prison with 205 prisoners. Some of these inmates are even convicts of criminal offenses.
As such, the Justice Center prison is a charming European home for nonviolent criminals. Although few dispute that prisons must protect the global citizens’ rights, others claim that this facility shifts inmates from dignity to luxury. The typical prisoner is given a living area with their own kitchen and enough natural light, a courtyard, and barred-off balconies. One can argue that the characteristics of the cells are advertising for a nice one-bedroom apartment. Their near-opulence by prison standards has a skeptical international community.
8. JVA Fuhlsbuettel Prison Germany
The JVA Fuhlsbüttel prison has relocated to Ohlsdorf in the city of Hamburg upon boundary revisions. The jail houses inmates serving long sentences. This facility has luxurious quarters for inmates. In addition to that, the inmates have the privileges to use washing machines for their clothes and bedsheets. The cells also have ample natural lighting like a house, and wide window glasses for the guards to spy on the inmates. They are spotless shiny looking down on the floors, and inmates must ensure they remain that daily.
Additionally, the facility has modern equipment and advanced technology for leisure activities. Inmates can also possess a wooden chair and a wooden table in their cells. However, this furniture must be permanently fixed.
The inmates in large quarters of the facility own a bed, a sofa, a modern shower, and a toilet. Inmates get frequent phone time to communicate with their family, friends, and attorneys while sitting on a cushioned chair which is contrary to other facilities.
7. New Zealand’s Otago Corrections Facility
The Otago Corrections Facility lies in the lower South Island, near Milton. Locals refer to it as “the Milton Hilton.” Between 2005 and 2007, OCF was one of four new prisons that began operations. A highly guarded perimeter fence surrounds a wide-open area with various structures for housing and services.
Otago offers pleasant quarters for its prisoners and emphasizes skill development despite the very tight security. This facility aims for successful rehabilitation in a place where inmates can relax in a life of luxury while serving their sentence. They also offer courses in light engineering, dairy farming, and cooking, among other things.
Notably, the Otago Corrections Facility does offer underfloor heating, a small library, a gym, and several other amenities. They also all share single rooms with excellent beds and desks. A television, a pinboard with pictures of cars and a scantily clad model, and what seems to be a collection of Harry Potter novels are all present in the room.
6. Champ-Dollon Prison, Switzerland
Switzerland’s Champ-Dollon prison is situated near Puplinge, in the canton of Geneva, and houses worldwide inmates. It is intended for individuals who are under preventative custody, although it also has space for nonviolent criminals. The Champ-Dollon is a natural refuge for the inmates, with spacious, clean chambers that provide the bare necessities for the inmates without causing them any pain.
This was not the condition of the jail before as it used to be overcrowded beyond the capacity. However, the prison had a major renovation in 2011 to make it more spacious and luxurious. The facility now includes large triple-occupancy cells with an adjoining bathroom. These kinds of amenities help convicts feel less like prisoners and more like roommates trying to achieve their goals of getting better and avoiding recidivism.
For breakfast, inmates get a tiny package of coffee, Nesquick, margarine, and jam, which you may use to prepare breakfast the following day with any remaining bread. Nonetheless, they can purchase some food from their commissary since most of them engage in work programs. The commissary sells things such as coffee, good tea, biscuits, butter, boiled eggs, and fruits. Interestingly, the facility allows inmates to sleep during the day if they do not have any inmate duty or work to attend to. The management also allows drawing, painting in mandalas, and long walks in the courtyard. In addition to that, inmates have the privileges of daily television and reading books.
5. Aranjuez Prison, Madrid, Spain
The Aranjuez Prison in Spain allows parents and children to remain with their imprisoned relatives while in custody. The facility has Disney characters on the walls, a nursery, and a playground. The aim of such features is to try and convince the children that their parents are in a good place, bringing families together.
This unique facility also allows newborn children to spend their first years with their imprisoned parents, thus preventing family breakdown. The facility believes that when the mother and father are away, the innocent, sweet child is the one who suffers and is at the risk of not knowing their parents well enough.
This facility aims at providing these parent-inmates with the opportunity to experience parenthood despite their circumstances. It also aims for the child to understand that the parent is in prison for a short while.
Moreover, the facility provides advanced parental courses as well as programs that involve children and parents. This way, the parent benefits from keeping the child and learns how to take good care of the child.
The parents may live like regular people in the jail dorms improving the bond between the parents and their children. Nonetheless, the only requirement of the jail is that everyone must attend the morning and evening roll calls. Hence, there has never been a case of prison escape.
4. HMP Berwyn Prison, United Kingdom
HM Prison Berwyn is a Category C adult male prison in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It is the biggest jail in the United Kingdom, having opened its doors in 2017. Her Majesty’s Prison Service runs it.
The HMP Berwyn correctional facility is now the coziest jail in the country. Inmates are given a phone, a laptop, and a shower in each cell. Additionally, the rooms only hold two inmates each. In fact, the facility does not refer to its residents as inmates but as guys. In addition to that, the correctional officers have to knock before they enter the guys’ quarters.
The inmates use their computers to order meals for the whole week, schedule visits, go grocery shopping weekly, and do any other activities that concern their inmate education courses.
3. Sweden’s Sollentuna Prison
Sollentuna Prison is in Sweden. Inmates live in individual cells with excellent mattresses and flushable toilets at this correctional institution. Further, inmates have access to kitchens where they can prepare their own meals. The facility also allows inmates to spend significant portions of their day watching television on a sofa or working out in the weight room, among other things. The institution adheres to the Nordic principles of rehabilitation just like the Norwegian and Finnish jails.
The facility believes that it is not their responsibility to punish people. This is because they think that the idea of staying in prison alone is enough for the inmate to feel their right to be free to do their own things. Hence, being in a restricted place is enough punishment. Notably, jail is primarily about rehabilitation in Nordic nations like Sweden, where imprisonment and crime rates are much lower. This technique has also had positive results over the years.
2. Indonesia’s PondokBambu Prison
PondokBambu Prison, a women’s jail in Indonesia, houses public officials and mostly wealthy public figures. The media also believes that the facility provides convicts with privileges that seem to negate the purpose of jail time.
There are well-appointed apartments inside the prison. The prisoners have air conditioning, a big-screen TV, a water heater, and a microwave. In addition to that, they also have freezers, karaoke machines, and manicure salons.
Inmates who wish to improve their prison lifestyle might offer the warden and his staff with gifts, cash, vehicles, and other items, in return for as many comforts as they could fit in their cell. The facility also allows inmates to walk off campus to spend time outside afternoons as long as they return to their rooms for evening roll calls.
The facility also has an attractive appearance with gardens and sculptures. As such, these beauty treatments and leisure courses make life undoubtedly relaxing. These features make this prison one of the finest in the world. The inmates attend beading classes or visit the beauty salon to pass time.
1. Bastoy Prison, Norway
Bastoy Prison is a low-security prison on Fjord Island, Norway, situated 46 miles south of Oslo in the Horten municipality. The 115 prisoners are housed on a 2.6 square kilometer island. There are 69 workers. However, only five workers spend the night in the facility to attend to the inmates’ needs.
The institution, formerly a juvenile detention center, is now attempting to become the world’s first ecological jail. Inmates live in beautiful wooden cottages and work on the prison farm. Inmates also get to reside in their own private cottages which are pretty amazing. Additionally, inmates eat meals that a chef prepares. They also have access to a sauna.
As such, these features make this prison to rank as the greatest jail in the world for its relaxing and low-key environment for its inmates.
The facility also has Maldives-style villas where inmates may relax in the sun making them forget incarceration troubles. The facility was even awarded the Blanche Major Reconciliation Prize in 2014 for supporting human values and tolerance. Interestingly, guards and prisoners get along contrary to most jails throughout the globe.
Shockingly, inmates have to apply to serve their sentence in the facility. Authorities can deny application where they think an applicant can pose danger to the rest of the prison population.
Those that the prison suspects or finds engaging in fights are prone to expulsion from the facility. The prison’s goal is for effective rehabilitation and prevent any chance of recidivism, hence the prison does not tolerate such violent acts. The prisoners coexist peacefully, collaborate well, and rely on one another for resources.