22. May 2009
|
Location |
Jõhvi, Ida-Viru County |
|
Founded |
2006 |
|
Type of prison |
Maximum-security prison (with cells) |
|
Inmates |
Adult males being held in custody; convicted adult males and male minors |
|
Max. no. of inmates |
1000 |
Preparations for the construction of Viru Prison in Jõhvi commenced in 2005 under the auspices of Riigi Kinnisvara AS, and the prison was completed in 2008.
It covers an area of 16 hectares and is primarily guarded through an electronic security system operating on the perimeters of the prison. Viru Prison is the first such facility in Estonia to have all of its buildings connected by enclosed overpasses in order to heighten security.
The prison complex comprises the prison itself and a detention centre. It can accommodate up to 1000 inmates in one- and two-person cells, a further 75 inmates in its minimum-security wing and 150 people being held in custody in the detention centre. There are also residential quarters for 300 people under preliminary investigation. The complex also has a school, a sports hall, rooms for social work, a chapel and workshops.
The prison employs 359 people, 224 of whom are prison officers.
Viru Prison is the first in the history of Estonia’s prison service to have a heightened supervision department. There is also a juvenile department, accommodating up to 250 minors. All underage prisoners who have been convicted or who are being held in custody and all young prisoners who have been convicted are held here.
The first inmates took up residence at Viru Prison in April 2008. In October there were 948 inmates in the prison, 721 of them convicted and 227 being held in custody.
The prisoners are educated by teachers from Jõhvi Secondary School and Ida-Viru County Vocational Education Centre and employed by AS Eesti Vanglatööstus.
