An offer for construction of a new custody and short-term detention centre will be put up for tender before the end of September. Justice and Human Rights Minister Ragna Árnadóttir has appointed a committee to formulate a long-term plan for the construction of the new facility. In the new prison there are expected to be 50 places, with a separate area for women.

The project has been in the preparation stages for a long time. It was officially decided in a meeting on 30th June to carry through the Justice and Human Rights Minister’s recommendation to start the project in the autumn, according to an announcement from her ministry.

The Government Purchasing Department will prepare the offer for tender on behalf of the state treasury, but it is expected that the winning contractor will foot the bill for construction and then lease the facility back to the government. Work on a feasibility study for the building has mostly been completed.

Now work on a basic plan and schema for the building is underway, which is intended to replace the penitentiary on Skólavörðustígur (pictured) and the facility in Kópavogur, which are currently both overcrowded. A location for the prison has not yet been decided upon.

Source: mbl.is
Image: gudmd.haralds

Labels: Construction, Crime