Czech Republic Opens First Special Detention Unit

BRNO, Czech Republic — The Czech government unveiled a special detention facility for dangerous and sexual offenders at the 527-bed Brno-Bohunice prison in South Moravia.

The $1.5 million unit, which will house 44 male and four female offenders, is the first facility of its type in the Czech Republic.

Under a new federal law that takes effect in January, repeat sex offenders and those convicted of murder involving sexual deviance will be eligible for placement in new special detention units, which will incorporate therapeutic and recreational space and programming.

The special unit, which will be segregated from the rest of the Brno prison complex, is designed for “extremely dangerous individuals, whose psychological state causes them to commit serious crimes,” officials say.

Due to the nature of their disorders, there “exists a realistic possibility that such offenders will continue to commit crimes in the future,” officials say. The new special unit will function as a hybrid of a traditional psychiatric hospital and a high-security detention facility.

The psychiatric clinics that currently house such high-risk offenders are healthcare-oriented and lack the technology and personnel necessary to provide adequate security, officials say.

The Brno unit is the first of several planned special units.

A $3 million facility of similar capacity will open in Opava during 2009, officials say. A 150-bed unit will be constructed in Vidnava and officials estimate the facility will cost between $18.5 million and $24.6 million.

Approximately 200 offenders could be transferred from existing facilities as the special detention units come online, experts say.