The State of Friborg inaugurated the new Bellechasse prison on Friday. The expansion work, which lasted two years, included the creation of 66 cells for open detainees. The total cost is around 40 million francs.
The new Friborg detention facility (EDFR) was presented by State Councilors Jean-François Steiert, in charge of Infrastructure, and Romain Collaud, in charge of Security and Justice. In 2028, normally, the Bellechasse prison, next to Sugiez, should become the only criminal detention site in the canton.
“It is a magnificent achievement for the entire penal chain,” noted Romain Collaud, referring to the “vast modernization” initiated in 2014. The project aims to ensure physical and mental well-being by strengthening resocialization through work. . Moreover, inmates made the furniture for the new cells.
Different diets respected
In detail, the 66 rooms of the new cell block are intended for prisoners in the open regime who were previously housed in the cell wing of the closed regime. The dining room, reception and visiting rooms for these prisoners are also brought together in a new building called the reception pavilion.
The project involves the construction of four buildings as well as the renovation of two historic buildings. It allows separation of different detention regimes. The new penitentiary center also has a medical center to ensure adequate somatic and psychiatric care for inmates.
Finally, the fourth building houses secure workshops, designed to provide work places for prisoners in a closed environment and those serving an early sentence. In total, 1,300 square meters of solar panels will still be installed. All of the work is aligned with the climate strategy of the canton of Fribourg.
The second phase soon
“The operation will take place after the summer holidays,” indicated Guido Sturny, director of EDFR. Jean-François Steiert insisted on the particularity of a construction site which had to be integrated into the functioning of the prison. In addition, the buildings were built on piles due to the “very low static load-bearing capacity” of the land.
For his part, architect Marcel Aebischer mentioned the scale of the task and a unique experience, in reference to the constraints of such work. An establishment more than a century old, Bellechasse accommodates some 200 inmates and includes an agricultural operation which makes it unique, with in particular a sales shop.
The second phase of the prison planning project (EDFR II) is currently being studied, in particular the relocation of the Central Prison from Friborg to Bellechasse. It includes an increase in capacity for early execution of custodial sentences as well as the creation of a new food hub.
A final envelope of 70 million
Friday’s inauguration is based on cantonal credits of nearly 30 million francs, to which is added a federal share of 9.2 million, recalled cantonal architect Michel Graber. This expansion work is part of the first part of prison planning (2016-2026).
With the second phase, there is talk of a total amount approaching 70 million for all the transformations.
ats/jfe
