30-06-2023 14:45
6 months after the symbolic first groundbreaking of the new penitentiary facility in Samoranovo, the site near Dupnitsa is acquiring real dimensions, fully comparable to the conceptual design.
The first new prison in Bulgaria in over 60 years is expected to be ready by the end of April 2024.
The complex includes a pilot prison with a capacity of up to 400 inmates and a training centre for 100 employees of the General Directorate ‘Execution of Punishments’.
An on-site inspection showed that the construction of one of the two ‘half way houses’ envisaged in Samoranovo is also progressing.
Production workshops are also being built, where prisoners will have the opportunity to participate in labour activities.
The aim of the Ministry of Justice's most ambitious project is to respond to the new challenges and international commitments to focus and sequence reform in the penal sector so that it leads to real and long-term results.
The funding is under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014—2021, the Justice Programme's project ‘Enhancing the capacity of the prison staff, building a pilot prison facility connected to a training centre and improving the rehabilitation of prisoners’.