Tech

Abandoned Dutch prisons are now being used to house refugees

Chris Weller

2016-05-19T19:36:00Z

Tens of thousands of refugees from all over the Middle East — countries like Syria, Iraq, Morocco, and Libya — have found an unlikely haven in the Netherlands.

Crime has been on the decline for the last decade, and dozens of Dutch prisons have been forced to close their doors as a result. To stay afloat, some have welcomed inmates from Belgium or Norway.

Now the Dutch government agency responsible for housing asylum seekers has opened the doors of prisons in 12 locations around the country, servicing hundreds of people in need, the AP reports.

Unlike American prisons, the facilities are uniquely suited to serve as temporary homes given their wide-open spaces and array of amenities.

Here's what life is like on the inside.

Last year, the Netherlands saw approximately 60,000 migrants enter the country.

While most were given help finding traditional shelter, the Dutch government called on its prison system to offer its increasingly vacant facilities.

In Haarlem, the former prison of De Koepel features layers of cells on the perimeters of a main courtyard.

Many of those surveyed in De Koepel were satisfied with the conditions, according to the AP. (Although, the food could be better, they said.)

Many report seeing the heavy prison doors as safety features, not reminders of being oppressed.

"I don't feel that it is a prison," one 16-year-old Syrian migrant said. "What matters is that we are safe here."

Coming with families, or leaving them behind, many of the refugees are young. Afghan refugee Shazia Lutfi, for example, is only 19.

Day to day, many of the residents report a sense of normalcy in the prison. They can ride bikes, watch TV, and play sports or music.

Yassir Hajji, 24, tells the AP that he used to be a barber in his home country of Iraq. He likes to practice his Dutch while threading his wife's eyebrows, in the hope his asylum request will get approved.

He has some competition — 30-year-old Syrian refugee Imad Abdulrahman is another barber staying at De Koepel.

Other couples keep themselves entertained through music. Afghan refugee Hamed Karmi likes to play keyboard for his wife, Farishta Morahami.

People also gain a sense of routine through their chores. De Koepel is one of many Dutch prisons that has opened its laundry service up to residents.

Open spaces may in fact be the greatest luxury migrants enjoy.

Female refugees are given the option to stay in the all-women section of the prison.

"Their safety is our main priority along with their health and daily needs," De Koepel's director, Menno Schot, said of the migrants. "The country is new for them so we are their guide in Holland."

The refugees are allowed to leave the prison grounds.

Of course, many will likely have trouble shaking the reality of where they're living at times.

But for others, the prison could end up serving as a first step toward a life of freedom.

Syria