It goes without saying that no one wants to go to jail, but these prisons might be the best ones to serve time in. Whenever someone thinks of the concept of a prison, they might believe they’re all outdated, falling apart and dull, but here we’ll show you some of the most aesthetically appealing facilities.
FPC Yankton, Yankton, South Dakota, USA
Holding 850 male inmates, this minimum-security prison used to be the site of Yankton College, and after several years of being empty, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons bought it to repurpose it.
West Kimberley Regional Prison, Derby, Australia
This is the world’s first culturally appropriate indigenous prison. It’s a medium and minimum-security facility located near their communities that helps with inmates’ mental health and rehabilitation.
Pima County Jail, Tucson, Arizona, USA
The materials and colors used in the jail’s construction take their inspiration from the mountains nearby. It holds 500 beds for medium-security offenders while easing crowding in its single-cell units.
Maasberg Juvenile Detention, Overloon, Netherlands
This beautiful timber structure is located in a small, wooded area where prisoners can see how life is outside the center, and it gives visitors a look at the day-to-day routine for those inside.
Kenton County Detention Center, Covington, Kentucky, USA
This prison can hold up to 630 male and female adult inmates in its energy-efficient facility. Their innovations could save up to $100,000 in annual costs.
Allegheny County Jail, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
This prison can hold as many as 2,400 men and women inmates. It’s located next to Duquesne University, so it was planned so as to not overshadow its Old Main Building, while keeping a similar architecture to the university’s.
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Detention Facility, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
A prison inspired by the surrounding geography holds male and female adults, and juvenile inmates. It’s intended to represent the values of the Native American community.
Douglas County Adult Detention and Law Enforcement Center, Douglasville, Georgia, USA
A 1,500-bed facility that’s one of the greenest correctional facilities due to its use of natural daylight and the reusing of rainwater. It doesn’t have any fences, but every maximum-security measure is present inside the jail.
Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center, Denver, Colorado, USA
This 1,500-bed jail was built to speed time from arrest to arraignment for adult male inmates who are detained and pending hearings, verdicts, or placement.
Union County Juvenile Detention Center, Linden, New Jersey, USA
Holding 80 male and female juvenile detainees, this jail is a beautiful building that, if it weren’t a correctional facility, would make a great school.
Justice Center Leoben, Styria, Austria
A natural light-filled building with shatterproof glass that holds detention areas for 15 people. Each area has a lounge, gym, and small kitchen that gives the prisoners the flexibility to cook and work out freely.
Roy McMurtry Youth Centre, Brampton, Canada
An institution capable of holding 192 male and female offenders that was listed in the 2009 World Architecture Festival. For its construction, they used masonry, concrete and weathering steel panels.
Lexington-Fayette Detention Center, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
This barn-looking facility can hold up to 2,048 inmates of any security level. It was built due to the overpopulation of facilities in Kentucky’s Lexington area.
Yancheng Prison, Suzhou, China
The main building of this prison was inspired by the White House, and it’s called a “luxury jail” due to the artificial river that runs through it, and because inmates can enjoy a basketball game in one of the six courts they have.
Toronto South Detention Centre, Toronto, Canada
This modern, glass-enclosed men’s prison looks like a conference center. Visitors no longer speak with inmates through a glass partition but in a Skype-like system they created. With a remarkable cost of $557 million, this might have become a model for institutions of this sort.
Metropolitan Correctional Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
This 28-story building holds both men and women prisoners of any security level before or for the duration of trials, and it also holds those serving short sentences. It has an exercise yard situated on top of it, in which inmates can enjoy views of the city.
Johnson County New Century Adult Detention Center, New Century, Kansas, USA
With sustainability in mind, the facility incorporated recycled materials, a roof that saves energy and water-efficient toilets during their $52 million expansion that took place until 2009.
Hopkins Correctional Centre, Ararat, Australia
A transitional facility for men that contains 40 beds and a cheerful exterior with vibrant colors. The building’s energy efficiency makes optimal use of natural light, cooling, and ventilation. Also, rainwater is reused to flush toilets.
Schie Prison, Rotterdam, Netherlands
A facility that brightens up its surroundings and has 252 cells, which are all painted in 20 different shades. Plus, the corridors of the facility are decorated with art.
Kentucky State Penitentiary, Eddyville, Kentucky, USA
Also known as the “castle on the Cumberland”, this is a maximum-security and supermax prison for male offenders.
Halden Prison, Halden, Norway
In 2010, this minimalistic prison with its galvanized steel and untreated wood features opened. It’s one of the highest-security facilities in Norway, yet it remains humane, since they believe in rehabilitation over punishment.
Lubyanka Prison, Moscow, Russia
This one wasn’t always a government building. It used to be the head office of the All-Russia Insurance Company, but after the Bolshevik Revolution was designated to accommodate the offices of Cheka, the Soviet secret police during that time.
East Jutland State Prison, Enner Mark, Denmark
One of the most secure jails in the country, which sits in a rather idyllic area surrounded by the hills and green fields of Enner Mark. It might look more appealing than the standard gray prisons we know but it’s still super secure due to its fingerprint scanners, motion sensors, sizable walls, and extensive fences.
Cuyahoga County Juvenile Justice Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
This hotel-looking prison was developed to replace the former outdated and overpopulated juvenile court in the area. It holds a courthouse, an intervention center, and a detention facility with 185 beds.
Cleveland Youth Detention Centre, Townsville, Australia
This eco-friendly building holds up to 104 juvenile inmates, aiming for a feel that is conducive to living without sacrificing security.
HM Prison Manchester, Manchester, U.K.
This building’s walls are so thick they’re impenetrable from both inside and out. It’s a high-security prison that can hold up to 1,269 male inmates. Its lofty ventilation tower is considered a landmark in the area.
Marin County Jail, San Rafael, California, USA
This building is set into the hillside, making the majority of the facility underground. The cells don’t have windows and all the lighting is artificial. Meanwhile, recycled water is used for watering greenery and latrines.
USP Leavenworth, Leavenworth, Kansas, USA
This building might be over a century old, but it’s just as impressive now as it was back then. The early parts of the construction were held by prisoners, and they were the first ones to be locked up there. Nowadays, it holds 1,870 male inmates.
Collins Bay Institution, Kingston, Canada
The structure, with its distinctive red crown, was built by inmates island and completed in 1943. It can hold up to 492 male prisoners, and it has been honored as a Recognized Federal Heritage Building.
Anamosa State Penitentiary, Anamosa, Iowa, USA
This maximum-security men’s prison was designed in a Gothic Revival style in the late 19th century. It also has a dedicated museum located in its periphery showing the prison’s history and assembly.
