Have you committed a crime in Austria? No problem, they will send you to a hotel, where you will "chill" a bit in a cozy apartment with a kitchen and a balcony.
If you get bored, you can play basketball, visit the fitness center or take a walk in the pleasantly landscaped surroundings.
This is a modern prison of the 21st century Justizzentrum Leoben in Austria. The architecture, which is more reminiscent of a 5-star hotel, was designed by Josef Hohensinn in 2004. His guiding principle was the philosophy of human dignity and respect. That is why there are also two inscriptions on the prison walls: "All men are born free and have equal dignity and rights", which is taken from the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and "All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated humanely and with respect for their dignity."
We all imagine prisons as morbid concrete buildings, with tiny Alcatraz-style cells meant to make criminals regret their actions. However, Jim Lewis of the New York Times says yes "this could be a model for future prisons that will not be easily accepted, but should not be ignored". Opinions are divided, because we cannot imagine that people who deprive others of their basic human rights should live in a luxury recreation center as punishment. Most of the Slovenian schools we attended are more similar to our ideas about prisons.
