Real estate opportunity of the year
The Governor of California is proposing to flog off the site of San Quentin prison, and quite choice its location is too:
"The correctional complex sits on Point San Quentin, which comprises 432 acres (1.75 km2) of desirable waterfront real estate overlooking the north side of San Francisco Bay. The prison complex itself occupies 275 acres (1.11 km2) of land, whose value a 2001 study estimated at between $129 million and $664 million".
Sounds like a plan. I would imagine that of British prisons, Wandsworth must sit on the most valuable real estate. One would think that our mainly 19th century prisons, often built in central (ish)residential locations, could be flogged off for redevelopment and be re-built to more modern standards elsewhere. After all, if the concept of prisons was invented today, how many of the current sites would be deemed sensible?
Anyway, shame the Man in Black isn't around to write another song about it.
"The correctional complex sits on Point San Quentin, which comprises 432 acres (1.75 km2) of desirable waterfront real estate overlooking the north side of San Francisco Bay. The prison complex itself occupies 275 acres (1.11 km2) of land, whose value a 2001 study estimated at between $129 million and $664 million".
Sounds like a plan. I would imagine that of British prisons, Wandsworth must sit on the most valuable real estate. One would think that our mainly 19th century prisons, often built in central (ish)residential locations, could be flogged off for redevelopment and be re-built to more modern standards elsewhere. After all, if the concept of prisons was invented today, how many of the current sites would be deemed sensible?
Anyway, shame the Man in Black isn't around to write another song about it.
Labels: crime and punishment, United States
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on Friday, May 15, 2009 at 11:49 am.
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Embedding a court house into the framework of replacement prisons would also make a lot of sense.
Moving prisoners to court and back to prisons is not just expensive, but also very disruptive for staff, and disliked by the prisoners (video links being highly preferred when available).
Sometimes when a prisoner returns from court, their space has been taken by another prisoner and they then have to be moved to a different prison.
Sounds thoroughly sensible.
The Moorish Castle in Gibraltar is not only our prison but also medieval (the clue being in the name). The EU don't like it and are forcing us to build a new shiny one.
Entertainingly a bloke was nicked recently because he had tunneled out, was robbing homes and then going back inside to his cell for the night.
And a friend of mine is the only female guard up there and gets paid work only when there are female prisoners. She was over the moon last month when our first woman convict for ages was convicted and sent down for 4 years. Presented with 2 years guaranteed work she bought drinks for the whole pub all night.
Anyway, Europe's last castle-prison is shortly going to become a museum or something.
Plenty of room for MP's.
Pentonville would be fine. Free mini bus serviceto Westminster
That could work, yes.
I think this is a great idea. It's too bad it took a recession for them to consider this, because they could have gotten top dollar for these properties a couple years ago. Will the government ever learn?
Take care, Julie
ASE - That's a fine brace of anecdotes.
TREA - They have not learnt yet, so I would not expect an epiphany any time soon.
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