Molàro prison
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| Location |  Montecara |
|---|---|
| Status | Operating |
| Security class | Mixed-security |
| Capacity | 750 |
| Population | 1,115 (as of 1 January 2023) |
| Opened | 12 September 1898 |
| Managed by | Secretariat of Defense and Security |
| Governor | Damàs Bertòn |
| Street address | Vìa Galèri 20 |
| Website | difseg |
Molàro prison (Montecaran: Calçèr Molàro) is the main penal institution in the city-state of Montecara. It is operated under the supervision of the Secretariat of Defense and Security and staffed by members of the Dragoons. It holds convicts as well as those in pre-trial detention and immigration detention. It has separate facilities for male and female detainees.
According to an announcement made by the government in February 2023, the facility is due to be closed by 2030.
History
Construction and early years
Before Molàro prison was built, those convicted of crimes were held in a variety of ad-hoc arrangements, including in military brigs within fortifications, aboard prison ships, and in the dungeon of the Doxe's palace. Detention was used mainly to hold those caught in the act before they were tried and sentenced to some other punishment, namely corporal punishment, public humiliation such as being put in the stocks, forced labor, house arrest, or exile. Jailors could only accommodate a few dozen prisoners at any given time, which was adequate for a penal system based on summary punishment rather than long-term incarceration and rehabilitation.
As modern theories of criminology and penology took hold in the mid-to-late nineteenth century, though, the focus of criminal law shifted from immediate physical punishment to the restriction of freedom and, ideally, rehabilitation. This new philosophy was developed and promoted by early Gaullican sociologists, particularly Abélard Calvet and David Barbet, who lobbied the Gaullican government to build model penetentiaries that would reform criminals into law-abiding citizens. The state adopted this policy beginning in the 1880s, and Molàro prison was constructed starting in 1895.
The prison was built over the course of three years, mainly using convict labor, on the former site of an open-air market in central Montecara. It was designed to hold approximately 500 prisoners in single-occupant cells. In keeping with the reformist philosophy of the time, prisoners were to spend their incarceration mostly in solitary contemplation, taking meals alone in their cells and spending the remainder of their time engaged in silent labor. This sometimes took the form of useful work such as cooking and cleaning but just as often consisted of breaking up rocks or picking apart old rope.
Etrurian occupation
The prison was used to hold political prisoners and prisoners of war during the Etrurian occupation of Montecara from 1944 to 1946. This period saw extreme overcrowding, with the facility holding more than 6,000 prisoners at times in a facility that was designed for no more than 700. The inhumane conditions endured by inmates remain some of the most bitter memories of the occupation. The Etrurians also executed dozens of inmates, usually members of the Resistance, at the prison during this period.
In an ironic turn, many Etrurian occupiers were themselves imprisoned at Molàro after the war, with the last discharged in 1967. Montecaran collaborators were also imprisoned there after being convicted of various offenses including war crimes and treason.
Contemporary period
Efforts to modernize the prison began in the 1960s as attitudes toward crime and rehabilitation progressed. The prison administration hired its first full-time psychiatrist in 1965 and educational offerings were expanded, with a dedicated library built the following year. Toilets in cells were added starting in the early 1970s; before this, prisoners had to rely on buckets overnight which had to be emptied in the morning.
As of early 2023, more than two-thirds of convicted criminals in the Montecaran penal system are foreign. This figure does not include those in immigration detention, a rapidly growing population. The outbreak of the Tsabaran Crisis and subsequent Tsabaran Civil War in 2019 has greatly accelerated the trend of illegal migration across the Aurean Straits, and Molàro is now a major detention site for migrants landing in Montecara. The influx of migrants has led to severe overcrowding at Molàro and other facilities and a badly clogged docket in immigration proceedings, prompting the government to adopt policies aimed at preventing migrants from reaching Montecara in the first place while adhering to the state's obligations under international law regarding the treatment of asylum-seekers.
Prison life
A typical two-person cell
Unit G, currently used for immigration detention
A view from the exercise yard
Booths used for visits
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The administration makes efforts to rehabilitate inmates and reduce the risks they pose to society. Prisoners at Molàro have access to educational opportunities, including the chance to finish secondary school and take university-level courses. Inmates are responsible for most of the prison's day-to-day operations, including cooking meals, cleaning, doing laundry, cutting hair, making repairs, doing administrative and clerical work, and growing fruits and vegetables in the garden. This makes the prison a partially self-sustaining community. They are paid for their work and can use their earnings to buy sundries at the commissary, and can also be sent a limited amount of money by friends or relatives. Under Montecaran law, inmates cannot produce goods for sale outside the prison. Inmates are allowed regular visits and phone calls, and are guaranteed access to their spouses, children, attorneys, religious ministers, and consuls if foreign citizens.
Controversially, prisoners are generally grouped by religion and ethnic origin. The large Atudite population has dedicated men's and women's units and separate dining facilities. The prison has special facilities for VIPs, which are no more luxurious than normal accommodations but are separate from the general population and are assigned additional security.
In accordance with Montecara's treaty obligations, the prison is open to unannounced inspections by officials of the International Federation of the Blue Crystal Movement (IFBCM).
Criticism and closure plans
In early 2023, the government announced plans to construct new detention facilities and to close Molàro by 2030. The announcement came after the publication of a report by a special committee of the Senate that described unhygenic conditions at the facility, including an ancient plumbing system that occasionally flooded cells with wastewater, infestations of insects and rodents, water damage, and poor ventilation resulting in high humidity and mold growth. The facility is also greatly overcrowded relative to its original design, with inmates doubled up in cells designed for one and crowded into bathing facilities that were designed for half the current number of users.
The announcement did not specify how the buildings would be used in the future other than to note that the site is a protected historic landmark and would not be demolished.
Notable inmates
- Barbara Ascaso, a Paretian nanny sentenced in 2004 to 20 years' imprisonment for the murder of an infant under her care
- Thanasis Demetriakis, Piraean junta member arrested in 1998 after having lived in Montecara under an assumed identity for nearly 20 years
In popular culture
The prison has been featured in a number of works over its history, usually focusing on the hardships of its inmates or on the brutality of prison life during the Etrurian occupation.