Transfer of Prisons: A Challenging Provision of the Sixth Development Plan

They say the address is straightforward: Old Qom Road, Hassanabad Police Station, Chahrmeshahr Road, 5 kilometers, Bijin Industrial Town, Greater Tehran Correctional Complex. However, those who have dealt with the 'Greater Tehran Correctional Complex' since its opening four years ago know that if they go to this prison without personal transportation, they must walk at least five kilometers from the main road to the prison. According to Ali Asghar Jahangir, head of the Prisons Organization, although the Greater Tehran Correctional Complex began operations in 2012 with 50% of its facilities ready, currently, only in Hall No. 2 of this prison, which has a capacity of 500 inmates, there are 1,100 inmates being held for fraud crimes. Mr. Jahangir has reported that the number of imprisoned thieves in the Greater Tehran Correctional Complex exceeds eight thousand. Officials from the Prisons Organization consider the construction of the Greater Tehran Correctional Complex as the first phase of transferring 20 prisons from large cities to outside the city. This prison is expected to accommodate 15,000 inmates, equivalent to half of the prisoners in Tehran. However, as Giti Pourfazel, a lawyer residing in Tehran, states, this transfer will primarily affect the communication of inmates with their lawyers and families. On Wednesday, the head of the Prisons Organization reported the uncertain status of the sale of Evin Prison to the Tehran Municipality. Previously, the Seda-ye Eqtesad newspaper had reported that even if the average price from the Statistical Center is used to calculate the price of the 43-hectare Evin Prison, the Tehran Municipality would still need to pay 3,500 billion tomans, equivalent to 20% of its annual budget, to purchase it. This is a budget that the Prisons Organization officials had counted on to complete the construction of their other prisons, including the 'Greater Tehran Correctional Complex,' which is designated for male inmates, and 'Qarchak Varamin Prison,' which is designated for female inmates. Previously, Elham, a woman who had been detained in Qarchak Varamin Prison, described the conditions there to Radio Farda, saying: 'It's like a warehouse. A large warehouse, with a high ceiling, and only the beds are arranged completely flat around the warehouse. The walls are not visible. All the beds are three stories high. The beds are arranged in a U-shape, creating a cabin with five or six people in one cabin. The space left in the middle is where the inmates are on the ground. They are located right in front of the toilets. This prison has seven warehouses, each accommodating about 160 to 200 people. Each warehouse has four toilets and four showers. The place I was in had two of the showers completely broken. The other two had fluctuating water supply, both hot and cold. Usually, one of the toilets was broken, but the other three were functional, though their condition was not very commendable.' Ali Asghar Jahangir also announced on Wednesday that the Prisons Organization is facing a 50% budget shortfall, which he stated has a significant impact on the nutrition, health, and medical care of inmates.