Open prison in Prague

Project idea

The idea of the open prison is the new topic in Czech republic and it is still trying to be perceived as the new way of punishing the prisoners. This idea of the open prison should bring the new attitude to rehabilitate people who are aware of their mistakes. And in this case, the architecture can help. Any prison, closed or open, should provide prisoners not only legally but also from a human perspective with a sense of security, privacy, mental support and assistance from specialized professionals.

Project description

My project focuses on areas in which prisoners can move at their own discretion and do not have to worry about the dangers coming from inside the prison or from the street. The prison contains premises in which prisoners can take part in educational programs or language courses. One possible way to rehabilitate the psychological aspect of their personality is drama therapy, which can take place in a theater room in the southern part of the prison. This room can be opened as well as the second common room. Depending on the needs, it can be connected to the court and organize events and theater performances there. The performances can also be organized for the public in cooperation with theaters in the near surroundings that support such events.

Through such forms of therapy, prisoners begin to accept themselves and show the world that their life stories may not be as distant from ours. It can be a warning to people,
that they can easily find themselves on a similar path of the convicts. No need therefore condemn the people behind the prison walls immediately, but on the contrary, help them and provide them with support in a system and environment in which they seek to find a way back to life in freedom.

Of course, inmates can also find joy in physical work, for example in a bicycle repair shop, in a laundry, in rooms adapted for sewing and finishing textiles, and in a café. All these acts have the potential for financial gain for people in prison. The system will work, for example, by collecting laundry or repaired bed linen from nearby hotels. Prisoners can also use the sports hall, which is accessible to the public as well as the café. In the accommodation section, the section has a capacity of eight people, which should be a reasonable number, in which there is no tension among the prisoners, and also the group of this number can be easily supervised.

In the personal rooms, prisoners could have their private space and can even lock their personal stuff. Because privacy is, after freedom, the most valuable thing that people behind the bars protect most.

Technical information

The building is skeleton of monolithic concrete with prefabricated staircases. It has 6 floors and only the north part is little bit underground hidden in the hill.

Co-authors

None.