Israel Prison Servic
Photo: Raanan Ben-Zur
Israel urgently needs to build more prisons
Opinion: Early releases will not be enough to provide decent living space for prisoners, more prisons need to be built, but we can start with using the vacant Holot Detention Center.
In order to increase living space for prisoners, the Israeli Prison Service is set to release some 1,000 prisoners early. But what Israel really needs is to build more prisons, something which has not happened in more than a decade. There is no doubt that prisoners deserve more livable conditions, as in any western country.
The ruling issued by Supreme Court Justice Elyakim Rubinstein ensured that the entire law enforcement system, the Knesset and the Ministry of Public Security, would take heed of the issue and occupy themselves with the conditions of prisoners.
Commissioner Franco (L) with his replacement (Photo: Avi Mualem)
Just as the State of Israel has long-term plans for building hospitals, schools, universities, police stations, courts and other public institutions, the state must also plan ahead to build more prisons.
Alongside the matter of living space, which even after the early release of some prisoners is still very low: 3.2 meters per prisoner, the government also needs to consider the decrepit condition of many prisons; old structures with outdated infrastructure badly in need of repairs and maintenance.
Consider the Neve Tirtzah women’s prison. Already during my first tour as commissioner of the Prison Service I concluded that the prison was not fit to hold prisoners. Immediately plans were drafted to construct a new, modern prison that would provide all the needs of the female prisoners.
NIS 150 million was allocated and a peripheral wall was constructed near Eshel Prison in Be’er Sheva. But unfortunately, as soon as my term ended in 2016, the budget was cut and the plans shelved.
Only five percent of the Prison Service’s budget is intended for upkeep and technology, a woefully low sum relative to the growth in the amount of prisoners. Every year, the Prison Service manages to upgrade a few prison wards and decrease the amount of beds per cell.
The question remains, what will happen in the second round of prisoners release — in accordance with the High Court ruling mandating 4.5 square meters of living space per prisoner? I hope that they don’t choose the easy way out, because releasing only 1,000 prisoners will definitely not suffice.
During my tenure, the Holot Detention Center was established to hold illegal migrants. It could have been a good solution for prisoners not deemed to be high-risk, and today it lies abandoned.
If the plan to build more prisons goes ahead and more beds and living space are added, and there are no unexpected delays or budget cuts, it will take at least five years before they can be inaugurated.
Aharon Franco served as Israel Prison Service Commissioner for the years 2011-2016
