It has been reported that North Korea has renovated some buildings at Sariwon Correctional Center and constructed new buildings. Sources say that this is a measure to increase capacity and expand the workplace.
A source from North Hwanghae Province told Daily NK on the 17th, “As the number of people at Sariwon Correctional Center increases, new buildings are being built and facility repairs are in progress to enhance correctional efficiency.” He added, “We are fixing old facilities inside and subdividing cells to improve safety and the environment.” “The purpose is to improve,” he said.
Construction of the new building began in early 2023 and was completed in the middle of this year, sources said, increasing occupancy by about 12%.
The source said, “Thanks to the increase in acceptance rate, the rate of new admissions to Sariwon Correctional Center is also increasing from the middle of this year to the present.” “The main charges of recent inmates are economic crimes, murder, robbery, and violation of the Act on Rejecting Reactionary Ideology and Culture,” the source said. “There are many cases where people were arrested while trying to cross the border and then underwent long-term interrogation and torture elsewhere before being transferred to regular criminals,” he said.
Meanwhile, construction to repair old facilities is still in progress. Old workshops and some inmate cells were demolished and replaced with new workshops with enhanced security and safety, educational facilities where educational projects for inmates are conducted, and inmates’ living spaces. Prison cells are being built in multiple layers.
“The new cells are being opened gradually,” the source said. “In line with international prison standards, the cell ceilings have been raised, the windows have been replaced with glass and enlarged to let in more sunlight, and the kitchen and restroom facilities have been newly replaced and made cleaner for the inmates.” “Hygiene and living conditions have improved somewhat,” he said.
It is not known exactly what international standards North Korea followed for its remodeling. However, the ‘UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Detainees’ states that prisoners must be provided with a living environment in which they can maintain basic hygiene and safety, and specifically recommends meeting factors such as air capacity, minimum area, lighting, heating and ventilation. .
In addition, the source said, “Food supply to inmates has increased slightly since the construction of the new facility. Agricultural production in Sariwon Correctional Center has not increased this year, but the food self-sufficiency rate has improved somewhat thanks to the foreign exchange earnings of the camp itself.”
He added, “There is no significant change in the nutritional status of the inmates, but more rice porridge is being provided to the weak rooms.” He added, “It appears to be consideration for inmates who have difficulty digesting food due to malnutrition.”
Meanwhile, it is reported that North Korea is considering strengthening its surveillance and security system as one of the main goals of improving Sariwon Correctional Center facilities.
The source explained, “With the goal of modernizing the prison’s surveillance and security system, new surveillance cameras and electronic and communication monitoring devices were installed,” adding, “As a result, surveillance of the prison students has become more thorough.”
Source: www.dailynk.com
