The construction of the prison complex on Igman is a project that has been announced for decades. However, unlike the previous plans and projects, the latest works show that the prison complex is close to being put into full operation.
As is known from before, the prison complex on Igman Mountain will consist of four buildings: an administrative building, a police building, a service building and a special detention unit building with its accompanying infrastructure. In addition, a parking lot will be built for visitors and staff of the institution, which has not been the practice until now. The complex will have a capacity for 300 detainees and 120 prisoners.
That the works are coming to an end was also confirmed by the director of the Sarajevo Penitentiary, Faruk Zubčević, with whom we performed an overall analysis of the situation and the current works being carried out on this facility.
“We are entering the third phase, which is also the final phase of the project. It includes communal infrastructure, internal and external lighting, linking the mechanical, electronic, hydro and construction segments into one functional unit with alternative options, taking into account the legal regulations that apply in such institutions as and the system for opening or closing individual segments and fire protection. It also includes the electronic monitoring system for the entire building, furniture and the finalization of road communications inside and outside the building. We believe that by the end of the year we will complete most of the work. So, at the beginning of next year, we will go into the segment of obtaining a use permit which will go very quickly. We had so much effort to do this properly, bearing in mind that this is a specific institution that was built according to all European Union standards,” said Zubčević.
What is important to point out is that the European Union also played a major role in the project, more precisely the Delegation of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina, under whose supervision this facility is being built.
“The EU delegation is the financier of the detention part, which is the biggest and most important for solving the pressing problem, which is detention in Sarajevo. The issue of the premises of the Municipal and Cantonal Courts as well as the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina is also being resolved. The facility in Vojkovići does not have the required number of detention rooms or rooms for women,” he states.
Given that the European Union is participating in the construction of this complex, we also discussed the standards that needed to be met, which are primarily related to European standards and rules.
“All the regulations were fully fulfilled and the EU Delegation praised the management of the Sarajevo Penitentiary. They told us that we are a credible segment in Bosnia and Herzegovina that fulfilled everything completely and in a timely manner. They also thanked us for the homely approach to all the activities that were done. Their standards are very precise and purposeful. Usually, during the drafting of the project documentation, great care is taken of these segments. To make it clearer, care is taken of the size of the cells, the ways and circumstances of the nutrition of detained persons, security measures of an internal and external character, and all those norms which meet European Union prisons. This prison meets all those standards,” he points out.
However, the most important segment is the one concerning security.
“If you have a detention facility that is without the possibility of influencing the detainees, without the possibility of a third factor having contact with the detained person, when you have the concept that the detainees cannot come into contact with each other, that none of the illegal substances can enter the complex. A complete prison security system is such. This security system will be a four-layer system that will have not only extremely high-quality video surveillance, but also thermal surveillance and surveillance with certain segments of the performance of police work, including the protection of official dogs that have been previously trained to find narcotic drugs and illegal substances associated with narcotics.” , he explains.
Taking into account the importance of European institutions in the construction of this facility, great attention was paid to talking with partners from both EU countries and the United States of America.
“We had several visits from around the world and the region. They were impressed from Slovenia, as was the delegation from the US Ministry of Justice. The people who deal with this issue could only say that they were honored to come and see that in Bosnia and Herzegovina this way , in a relatively short period of less than three years, has done a lot. We have established contact with the Slovenian execution of criminal sanctions, which was copied from Germany. We have close contacts with the US Department of Justice. The visit was attended by a person who is one of the most competent in prison system. He told us that this is also excellent for US conditions, which particularly impressed us,” he explains.
Despite the great efforts that have been made, Zubčević emphasizes the great role of the European Union in the entire project.
“If it wasn’t for the EU, this prison wouldn’t exist. As the director of the Sarajevo Correctional Facility, I would like to thank the Delegation of the European Union for all.
What did they do? They are also more understanding than we might be. The essence is to fulfill the conditions in order for you to receive EU funds. You have to have clean papers regarding the land, communal infrastructure and all those prerequisites that represent painstaking work. You have to have a lot of desire and will to collect everything. The EU has chosen the contractor. The EU also supervises these works. For a hundred years, they tried to move the Sarajevo Penitentiary. It was all about words and wishes. No one rolled up their sleeves and fulfilled everything that needed to be fulfilled in order to get those funds,” he says.
He assessed the construction of the complex on Igman as one of the historical moments.
“Nobody has invested a penny here for 100 years. It’s crazy. The biggest detention unit, a mirror of the state, and nobody invested in that prison. Nobody had the desire to do it. We took on a big job and solved the problem of the judiciary. They have premises that we will cede to them. We resolved the custody of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the municipal and cantonal courts. We created a basic segment of judicial reform and the final reckoning with organized crime and corruption. We received all the congratulations. The position of the KPK was to cede part of the premises to the CS Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office because they need to have a direct connection with the main building and the judges. The Prime Minister of the CS came and praised the work, as well as the Government of the CS. We also have the support of the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We have done what no one has done for 100 years,” says the director and clarifies that the financial importance will also be important for the Municipality of Ilidža, because the headquarters of KPZ is moving from the municipality of Centar to Ilidža, Klix.ba reports.