List of prisons in Switzerland


Prisons in Switzerland are operated by the Swiss cantons, which are responsible for law enforcement in Switzerland. As of 2008, Switzerland has 124 prisons according to the Catalogue of Correctional Institutions compiled by the Federal Statistical Office; other statistics, which account for various institutions being administratively associated with each other, report 117 prisons. Swiss prisons have a capacity of up to 6,736 detainees total, including up to 477 women and 105 minors. The detainees are housed in 4,531 single cells, 1,044 cells for multiple persons, 172 security cells, 200 disciplinary cells and 50 infirmary cells.
In 2008, Swiss prisons housed 5,780 detainees, of which 5.8% were female, 1.2% minors and 69.7% non-Swiss nationals. Half of all detainees were serving prison sentences, a quarter were in pre-trial detention, six percent were detained for expulsion and extradition and three percent were reported as being in "protective custody and custody for other reasons". Additionally, in 2006, 5,333 persons served a prison sentence in the form of community work orders, and 114 served their sentence in the form of electronic monitoring house arrest.
in 2017, Prisoners that were locked up added up to about 6,900, while its maximum capacity is at about 7,500. The prison rate for Switzerland as of 2017 is up to 81 per 100,000. These numbers seemed to have slightly increased since 2008.
According to a 2006 U.S. government report, Swiss prison conditions generally meet international standards, but prison overcrowding is a problem, particularly in the cantons of Geneva, Zürich and Bern. The report cites a 2005 Swiss government report stating that one-third of the country's detention centers were at or above their designated capacity, and nine were overcrowded by 20 percent or more. Overcrowding to 200% of capacity caused a mutiny at Geneva's Champ-Dollon prison in 2006.
Since the 1950s, correctional policy, prison construction, and operation is coordinated in organizations set up through regional agreements between several cantons. As of 2009, these are:
Training of prison staff is the responsibility of the joint Swiss Prison Staff Training Centre in Fribourg.

List

ImageNameCantonLocationFunctionOpenedCapacityNotesExternal links
Bezirksgefängnis Aarau-AmtshausAGAarauMultipurpose prison193642
Bezirksgefängnis Aarau-TelliAGAarauPre-trial custody198514
Bezirksgefängnis BadenAGBadenPre-trial custody, short imprisonment198425
Bezirksgefängnis BremgartenAGBremgartenShort imprisonment18th century8
Bezirksgefängnis KulmAGUnterkulmPre-trial custody, imprisonment199123
Bezirksgefängnis ZofingenAGZofingenPre-trial custody, imprisonment199730
Bezirksgefängnis ZurzachAGZurzachPre-trial custody, imprisonment196713
Justizvollzugsanstalt LenzburgAGLenzburgMultipurpose prison1864190
Stiftung SatisAGSeonIndefinite incarceration, involuntary commitment, semi-liberty19569
Kantonales Gefängnis Appenzell AusserrhodenARNiederteufenPre-trial detention, extradition or expulsion detention200712
Strafanstalt GmündenARNiederteufenMultipurpose prison188453
Strafanstalt WauwilermoosLUEgolzwilpenitentiary and deportationEstablished in 1940 as Wauwilermoos internment camp62
Untersuchungsgefängnis TrogenARTrogenPolice and pre-trial detention18402
WitzwilBEGampelenMen's detention1995200With a total agricultural land area of 612 hectares, the penitentiary is the largest farm in Switzerland
Flughafengefängnis Abt. AusschaffungshaftZHZürich AirportExpulsion detention1995106With a total of 214 places, the airport prison is the canton's largest.
Flughafengefängnis Abt. U-Haft und StrafvollzugZHZürich AirportPre-trial detention, imprisonment1995108
Gefängnis Affoltern am AlbisZHAffoltern am AlbisImprisonment197365Specializes in reintegration, houses only prisoners with a short remaining sentence.
Gefängnis DielsdorfZHSpitalstrasse 5, DielsdorfPre-trial detention, imprisonment196064Specializes in the detention of women, particularly mothers.
Gefängnis HorgenZHBurghaldenstrasse 1, HorgenPre-trial detention, imprisonment193752Has a specialized youth detention unit.
Gefängnis MeilenZHUntere Bruech 141, MeilenPre-trial detention, imprisonment195435Smallest prison in the canton.
Gefängnis PfäffikonZHHörnlistrasse 55, PfäffikonPre-trial detention, imprisonment197980Has a high security unit for six detainees.
Gefängnis WinterthurZHHermann Götz-Strasse 22, WinterthurPre-trial detention, imprisonment196548Mainly used for pre-trial detention.
Gefängnis ZürichZHRotwandstrasse 21, ZürichPre-trial detention, imprisonment1916170Used almost only for pre-trial detention.
Halbgefangenschaft WinterthurZHPalmstrasse 2, WinterthurImprisonment, semi-detention199338Specializes in semi-detention.
Haus LägernZHLindenweg 30, RegensdorfSemi-detention199830Semi-detention division of the Strafanstalt Pöschwies.
Kolonie RingwilZHKoloniestrasse 2, HinwilImprisonment, semi-detention188160Part of the Strafanstalt Pöschwies.
Massnahmenzentrum UitikonZHZürcherstrasse 100, Uitikon-WaldeggImprisonment, educative measures187448Centre for youth offenders.
Polizeigefängnis ZürichZHKasernenstrasse 29, ZürichPolice and pre-trial detention1995141Provisional police detention centre.
Strafanstalt PöschwiesZHRoosstrasse 49, RegensdorfImprisonment, indefinite incarceration1995436Largest prison in Switzerland.
Vollzugszentrum UrdorfZHIn den Luberzen 18, UrdorfImprisonment198749Specializes in brief detentions ordered in lieu of fines. Closes in 2010.
zsge-NeugutZHNeugutstrasse 8, UrdorfSemi-detention196413Semi-detention and resocialization centre operated by a private foundation.

Footnotes