According to the Global Times, a new prison in western Zurich, Switzerland, is about to open. In order to test the prison facilities and staff, it was decided to recruit volunteers for the community to experience prisoner life, and 832 people had signed up in just a few days.
The application process for becoming a volunteer prisoner is said to close in late February. Hundreds of people are currently volunteering every three days, and the prison is just a few steps from the Zurich railway station, a huge gray metal building. The prison is scheduled to officially begin accepting inmates on April 1, and authorities hope to test it before then. Some of the prison guards and other employees have only recently joined the workforce.
According to the announcement, volunteers who successfully apply will be detained as real prisoners for several days. While such an event may not sound appealing, in the end, the announcement attracted the interest of more than 800 volunteers, while the prison set a quota of 241.
Allegedly, a proclamation on the prison's website began with the headline "Do you dare?" At the beginning, to pique public interest and courage, the announcement also read: "Just as correctional experts are not jobs that everyone can do, staying as an arrested person is not something that everyone can do." ”
It is understood that the volunteers who successfully applied will spend three days in real prison conditions from March 24 to 27. These "prisoners" must hand over their electronic devices and mobile phones. However, their diet is taken very seriously, with halal, vegetarian and meat options, and everyone will be provided with plenty of food. Volunteers can choose whether to undergo a stripping search upon arrival. If someone is chosen, he has the right to choose to go or not to go, but he cannot transfer his "jail ticket" to someone else.
Warden Erman told reporters that volunteers should not expect the prison to be any "holiday center" and think that they are here for "vacation camping." But the volunteers can leave at any time. Piloting is a great way to ensure that day-to-day operations are fully operational while guards and staff can familiarize themselves with the facility.
The program is only open to adults living in Zurich, and applicants must agree to a background check to ensure they are eligible to participate.
The new Zurich City West Prison was built in part to ease criticism of the living conditions of detainees in the canton.