History of the Prison

The Nitra Remand Prison and Prison is located in a building originally constructed for prison purposes in the early 20th century. It served as a prison until 1960. Its modern history began in 1969, when the facility was transferred to the administration of the then Corps of Correctional Services (predecessor ofthe Corps of Prison and Court Guard) . Following extensive renovation, it resumed its function as a prison in 1973.

Construction of the administrative building began in 1977 and was completed in 1979. Between 1977 and 1979, a vocational school was established at the prison to provide initial and specialized training for members of the Corps. The school also offered full secondary vocational education, including final examinations. Today, it includes standard classrooms, a computer lab, and a shooting training classroom.

On 1 January 2004, the school was transformed into the Training Institute of the Corps of Prison and Court Guard, focusing on the professional and specialized training of members and employees of the Corps.

The Present

The prison has a capacity of 407 prisoners, with 253 places designated for remand prisoners and 154 for sentenced prisoners. Remand custody is mainly provided for the districts within the Nitra region. Remand prisoners are placed in either standard or relaxed regime units. Sentenced male prisoners serve their sentences under the medium security level.

Given the nature of remand custody, the prison emphasizes cultural and educational activities for prisoners, including lectures, discussions, quizzes, and sports. Prisoners may subscribe to newspapers and magazines and borrow books from the prison library, which holds 3,125 publications, including 123 religious and 225 foreign-language titles (in Russian, English, German, Italian, and Hungarian). A reading room is available for studying case files and legal documents electronically. Additional facilities for remand prisoners include a multifunctional room, gym, and fitness area.

Recent improvements include the complete renovation of the visiting room and aesthetic upgrades to the prison yards, which now feature workout stations for bodyweight training.

Religious Services

Religious services are provided by the prison chaplain through worship in the prison chapel, group and individual counseling, confession, preparation for sacraments, catechesis, Bible study, and religious video screenings. Additional spiritual support is provided by a prison pastor in cooperation with Churches and Religious Communities in Slovakia, offering pastoral counseling, Bible education, Christotherapy, and sacramental preparation.

Employment

Sentenced male prisoners are employed in internal operations and in the facility’s auxiliary prison inductry centres, where they work on building maintenance, technical operations, and food services for prisoners and staff.

Healthcare

Healthcare is provided to prisoners, members of the Corps, and employees through general practitioners, dentists, and contracted specialists in psychiatry, pulmonology, internal medicine, and phthisiology. The prison medical centre includes an X-ray unit with a certified radiology technician.

Psychological Services

An integral part of the prison is the Psychological Diagnostics and Counseling Unit. It assesses the risk of problematic behaviour, identifies criminogenic needs, and mitigates the negative effects of incarceration on inmates. It also participates in staff selection, mental health monitoring of personnel, and candidate assessments for judicial and prosecutorial positions.

Organizational Structure

The Legal and Administrative Department plays a key role in prison record management and coordination with judicial and law enforcement authorities. The Security Department ensures the guarding of the prison, courts, and prosecutor's offices in the region, and is responsible for escort operations, canine services, and the judicial guard. The Economic Department oversees the prison’s finances, budget planning, and accounting of prisoners´ financial transactions. The ICT Unit manages IT systems, including servers, workstations, and networks. The Logistics Department provides transport, provisioning, uniforms and equipment, energy management, and facility maintenance. Personnel matters are handled by the HR Department. The facility currently has 266 established positions for members of the Corps and 22 for employees.

Social Programme

To support staff well-being, the facility offers a relaxation area with a sauna and rest zone in the administrative building, as well as a gym and sports hall. A transit accommodation facility is available for short-term stays by staff from Nitra Prison or other prisons.

International Cooperation

The prison maintains international cooperation agreements with the Prison Service of the Czech Republic (Znojmo Prison), Gebarzewo Prison in Poland, and Pálhalma Prison in Hungary.