Estonia Unveils $120 Million Detention Complex

JOHVI, Estonia — Ministry of Justice officials opened the new 1,075-bed Viru prison complex to replace outmoded beds at three Soviet-era detention facilities.

The Viru prison project marks the first time Estonian prison and jail facilities have been located in a single detention complex, officials say.

The new $119.3 million regional maximum-security complex incorporates 1,000 closed beds and a 75-bed open unit operated by the Department of Prisons. A 150-bed house of detention, under the control of the national police, augments the prison facility.

Viru prison also incorporates a separate 250-bed juvenile unit for pre- and post-trial youth offenders and the facility will function as a detention hub for Estonia’s juvenile justice system, officials say.

“I am very glad to see that our nation is now one modern new prison richer,” says Viru’s Warden Edvard Remsel. “The situation in a country is indeed assessed by the state of its prisons.”

The Justice Ministry is phasing out outmoded Soviet-era detention camps as it implements a regional system of larger, modern prisons. By 2015, officials plan to have only three prisons in operation, according to the European Permanent Conference on Probation.

The Ministry of Justice opened Estonia’s first modern prison in 2002, and a new prison located in the Estonian capital Tallinn is under construction. As of April 2008, Estonia’s prison system held 2,626 inmates and 891 individuals awaiting trial, according to the Department of Prisons.

Designed by Tallinn-based architectural firm Kalle Roomus AB, the 467,000-square-foot complex at Viru features 14 buildings on a 40-acre site. Prison housing units, which are designed with dual-occupancy cells, are connected with a series of raised walkways.

The Viru project differs from other Estonian prisons in that buildings are interconnected with enclosed galleries, says Keit Paal, project manager for construction firm Merko Ehitus.

The 1,075-bed Viru prison will replace three Soviet-era detention facilities.

The galleries are designed to enhance security by providing roof-area access only and controlling movement between buildings. In addition to housing units, the complex includes an education building, workshops, rehabilitation programming space, a library, sports facility, a church and administrative space.

“One of the greatest innovations with Viru prison is the reduction of security risks,” Remsel says.

The complex is enclosed by an almost four-mile multi-layered security perimeter composed of two metal fences on either side of a concrete wall. An electronic surveillance system further enhances perimeter security.

“All of this helps keep the movement of prohibited items between groups of inmates in check and restricts the spread of a criminal subculture in the prison,” Remsel says.

Viru is situated in northeastern Estonia near the town of Johvi, which lies 30 miles from the Russian border. Merko began construction of the prison in August 2006 and will complete minor work details, including landscaping and access roads by August.

“The main challenge was the complicated logistics resulting from the security requirements,” Paal says.

More than 240 correctional officers are detailed to the prison. The staff also includes more than 100 administrative and support personnel, and a team of psychologists, social workers and youth counselors.

Educational programming is provided by a local high school and county vocational education center.

“The new and very appealing working environment is also an excellent motivator for prison officers to achieve good results and for inmates to choose the right path towards lawful behavior,” Remsel says.

Tartu prison — Estonia’s first noncamp-style detention facility — houses adult male and female inmates and juvenile offenders in 450 dual-occupancy cells. The facility also marked the first step in the Justice Ministry’s plan to create a regional prison system.

The 248,000-square-foot complex incorporates educational, rehabilitation program and religious instruction space; wood-, metal- and textile-work facilities; sports and recreational amenities; and administrative and support space.

An integrated emergency/duress system is designed to enhance staff and inmate safety and approximately 200 video surveillance installations monitor and control access and movement.

“Construction and architecture change over time and Viru is without doubt a step forward compared to the first new prison in Estonia, which was Tartu prison,” Remsel says.