Aranjuez, a small Spanish town south of Madrid has so far been famous for two things: the Palacio Real de Aranjuez, a royal residence and Rodrigo’s classic guitar Concierto de Aranjuez.
Now it has a third claim to fame: the only place in the world with a prison offering family cells.
Not exactly in the Palace pictured here, but the “spacious units, dubbed “five-star cells,” come with cribs, Disney characters on the walls and access to a prison playground.”
“The idea is for children to bond with their jailed parents while young enough not to fully grasp the reality of prison, and to teach parenting skills to inmates seeking rehabilitation. Some parents have two toddlers in the prison, and the total currently stands at 32.”
A really noble thought. However, “in this section you completely forget you are in a prison,” said Ramona Montoya, 33, serving 11 years for drug trafficking.”
Hm… I’m not sure *that* is such a good thing.
(Full story at AP)
Check out the “family detention center” in Texas:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/10/us/10detain.html
It’s causing quite a stir…
–Chris
Well it’s admirable and i figure people will intentionally do illegal things to get in such prison, no worries, no problems, apparently. It’s something like a Drug rehab center, only for a longer time. It’s nice to see this though.