, which was replaced by the State Prison of East Jutland. In 1998, a working group under the Danish Prison and Probation Service (
Danish: Kriminalforsorgen) carried out a joint country-wide investigation with the now-defunct Danish Defence Construction Service (
danish: Forsvarets Bygningstjeneste). This included a detailed analysis and evaluation of the Prison and Probation Service's buildings, with comments on the extent of the need for renovation, rebuilding, and new construction. A large number of the buildings were declared run-down and unsuitable by modern standards. The audit concluded that in order to provide correctional facilities meeting modern Danish requirements for prisoner rehabilitation and employment opportunities during incarceration, all closed prisons (with the exception of the State Prison in Ringe) should be replaced completely within 25 years. The first steps towards fulfilling the recommendation were taken later that year in the 1998 state budget and subsequently in the Prison and Probation Service's operational agreement for the period 1999 to 2003. It was decided that Horsens State Prison would be the first to be replaced. In 1999, a working group under the Prison and Probation Service was established to give a specification for the new prison's construction consistent with the modern function and security requirements established by the 1998 audit. This involved trips to Canada, Sweden, Norway, Holland and Poland to research recent prison modernisation. This group then become the project managers for the actual realisation of the prison, which was internally named State Prison of East Jutland. In June 2001, the working group delivered their report with specifications for the State Prison of East Jutland. The report gave best-practice recommendations for the prison and commented on how the relevant legal requirements would be met. This report formed the basis of the working group's further activity which first consisted of the establishment of several subsidiary working groups with representatives from the old Horsens State Prison and
trade groups. This led to further recommendations regarding for example security, employment facilities for inmates, prison employee facilities, and cell design.
Construction Later in June 2001, the working group delivered a finished construction plan and
tendered for the building of the prison to firms in the
European Union. Tendering finished in December 2001 and the contract was won by the
Aarhus-based architects
Friis & Moltke. Construction began in March 2003 with the installation of utilities and the raising of the main concrete prison wall. The first ground was broken on 19 March 2003 by the then Minister of Justice Lene Espersen who at the same event publicly announced the name State Prison of East Jutland. In Autumn 2003, an 48-inmate capacity increase was authorised, to give a total capacity of 228 inmates distributed amongst 4 standard sections and one especially secure section. Construction of the prison buildings began in August 2004 and was completed by Summer 2006. The prison was officially opened on 2 October 2006 and received its first inmates shortly after on 16 October 2006. Construction costs totaled 403 million
DKK. Including the outer security zone, the prison occupies a total area of 65 hectares. In 2008, it was awarded the
Horsens Municipality architecture prize. == Operation ==