The new prison in Poštorná is expected to begin operations in November

Břeclav - The prison in Břeclav is likely to expand with a branch that will become a new correctional facility in the Poštorná district from November. At that time, about 20 inmates are expected to be housed there, with the number set to increase to 200 next year. The correctional facility will be created from a former detention center for refugees that was operated by the police years ago, Břeclav prison director Miroslav Vodák told ČTK today. Approximately 90 people, mainly guards, will find work at the prison in Poštorná.
    "There will need to be adjustments to the facility. However, it shouldn't be anything major. We do not yet know the exact costs of this project," the director stated. According to him, the recruitment of new employees has already begun. The prison service is looking for a contractor for the construction modifications in Poštorná.
    The Břeclav prison was established in 1995. It is designated for serving the sentences of 192 people. Currently, 180 men are serving their sentences there. The new facility in Poštorná is being opened by the prison service due to the long-term overcrowding of Czech prisons. The situation improved some time ago following an amnesty by President Václav Klaus, but today the prisons are again full. For example, the prison in Kuřim, South Moravia is currently filled to 110 percent capacity, housing 540 inmates.
    The prison service took over the premises in Poštorná in November 2011 and has so far delayed its utilization. The increasing number of inmates is forcing it to act. The police used to place detained refugees in the Poštorná facility before deporting them to Slovakia or Austria.
    Alongside Poštorná, the prison service plans to open a new prison facility in Vyšních Lhotách in the Frýdek-Místek region, and in February, the women's prison in Velké Přílepy near Prague was reopened.