Lisbon Prison to Close by 2020, Giving Way to Major Real Estate Deal

19 October 2018

A prison in Lisbon will be shut down by 2020, the Jornal Econômico reported. The land located in the heart of the capital is worth more than 200 million euros and is expected to become home to the new Justice Campus. A part of the land will be ceded to the Lisbon City Council (CML) and may be sold off to the private sector.

The Lisbon Prison (EPL) will be gradually shut down, according to the State Budget for 2019. According to the Jornal Econômico, the Portuguese government expects that the process will be completed by 2020 and the property, located in the heart of the capital, is expected to become the new home of the Justice Campus. The Lisbon City Council (CML) is also expected to receive a share of the property, which may be sold off to private investors, given the asset’s extremely desirable location and potential value for Portuguese and foreign investors.

“The Government is taking the necessary measures to implement its plan for the gradual closure of prisons in Lisbon and Setúbal, as well as the transfer of the central services of the Ministry of Justice and the courts of Lisbon,” the draft law for next year’s budget stated.

The Jornal Econômico has learned that the Portuguese state has been gradually reducing the number of prisoners housed at the EPL in line with its plans to close the facility. Two years ago, the prison, which requires major renovations, had about 1,200 inmates. Today, only 850 are left, and the pace of the reduction will increase over the next few months as more prisoners are transferred to other jails. The prison in Tires, currently a facility for female prisoners, will likely receive many of the current detainees who will be housed in a pavilion which is currently abandoned and will be rehabilitated.

Original Story: Jornal Econômico – Filipe Alves

Translation: Richard Turner