First shovels mark start of Iceland’s new security prison

Construction of a new security prison at Stóra-Hraun began on Tuesday, with Justice Minister Þorbjörg Sigríður Gunnlaugsdóttir, prisons director Ragna Bjarnadóttir and Árborg mayor Bragi Bjarnason taking the first shovelfuls. mbl.is reported the milestone.

“This is the largest construction project in the history of prison affairs in Iceland,” Gunnlaugsdóttir said. She also called it a “historic moment”, noting that it will be the first building in Iceland designed and built as a security prison.

The prison will eventually provide space for 128 inmates. The project is divided into two phases, with the first expected to cost 17.8 billion Icelandic krónur.

The first phase will include general accommodation for 56 inmates, a school building, a workshop, a warehouse and a gate building. The second phase will add a security unit for 16 inmates, a model unit for 56, another workshop, a staff building and staff parking.

Gunnlaugsdóttir said the project marked a turning point and would end what she described as a piecemeal approach to prisons in Iceland.