The prison in 1969
Grijzestad Prison (Dutch: Gevangenis van Grijzestad) is a prison in Balcort, Grijzestad. It is one of the four prisons in Brunant currently operating. It has capacity for 488 people, making it the second-largest.
History[]
The prison is also known as the "new" Grijzestad Prison, to distinguish from the one used from the 17th century until 1898 and again during the German occupation from 1941-1944.
The prison was the work of the Department of Justice and the De Vries government to address overcrowding in the Carrington Prison. That prison was made to hold 500 prisoners, but routinely had as many as 800 or 900 prisoners, if not more.
Grijzestad Prison began construction in early 1964, completed in 1965. When opened, it was initially called Balcort Prison, gaining its current name in 1980.
It was designed in the period prior to Barzona Libre attacks and their escape attempts, thus security was not as heavy as Carrington's. It was soon determined that behaving prisoners and those of low risk of escape would be moved to Grijzestad. The most famous escape occurred in 1973; prisoner John Harris, a gang member, was freed when a Cadillac limousine crashed through the gates to rescue him from the exercise yard.
Grijzestad Prison is due to be renovated in the near future, likely from 2020.