First inmates for new prison

TALLINN- The Viru Prison is now open for business, admitting its first 19 prisoners on Tuesday. Adding an additional 20 prisoners a day, warden Edvard Remsel stated that "We expect to fill the prison by the end of May". 

According to Remsel, the prison is almost fully staffed. "Of the 350 staff positions, 314 have been filledby today and candidates exist for most of the remainingpositions, too, but we still lack psychologists, forinstance,".

The builder, Merko Ehitus, will finish the final jobson the complex by the end of July, mostly building roads and grounds work.

More than 2,700 workers altogether were involved in theconstruction process of the 16-hectare prison complex located in thetown of Johvi.

Prisoners are separated from the outside world by twometal fences and one concrete fence guarded in addition byan electronic surveillance system.

The construction of the Viru Prison started in August2006. The complex provides cells for 1,000 prisoners,administrative offices, a school, a church, a sportsbuilding, a library, workshops and rooms for social work.