12-09-2023 10:39
We have the ambition to complete the construction of the new prison in Samoranovo by the end of April next year and this is among the priorities of the Ministry of Justice. This was stated by the Minister of Justice Atanas Slavov after an inspection of the construction site in the village of Dupnica, which he carried out today.
The construction of the new penitentiary complex, which includes not only a new prison for 400 inmates, but also a training centre for the staff of the General Directorate for the Execution of Punishments (GDIN), a social centre, a school, workshops, a transitional ward, an administrative building, etc., is underway.
At the site, the Minister of Justice found that two of the three floors of the prison were almost completely built. Insulation has been made, window frames have been put, other finishing works are in progress.
The idea of the so-called pilot prison is to be without bars, as is the practice in Norway, where the funding for the project comes from. The Kingdom of Norway is providing the funds for the most modern prison facility in the country under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism (NFF) 2014-2021. It was implemented under the project "Increasing staff capacity, building a pilot prison linked to a training centre and improving the rehabilitation of prisoners" of the Justice Programme.
The Director General of the DGIN, Chief Commissioner Ivaylo Yordanov, who is also the project manager, explained that more than 150 workers are involved in the field on a daily basis, with construction work going on in parallel on all the planned buildings of the complex. The construction is on schedule and the deadline will be met, assured the contractor.
Along with the new prison in Samoranovo, the DGIS is working hard on other projects funded by the NPM. The new dormitory for 250 prisoners in Vratsa prison is expected to be opened in a month and will meet all European requirements. The construction of the new detention and probation service in Petrich, as well as the transitional wards in the prison dormitories "Hebros" (Plovdiv prison) and "constructor" (Burgas prison) are also on schedule and will be ready by mid-2024 at the latest.