The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) will cooperate with the Taipei County Government to speed up relocation of the Taipei Detention Center to the site of an ammunition depot in Tucheng City, ministry officials said yesterday.
The officials said the relocation will take an estimated nine years, and the project would benefit the government treasury, promote the city's economy and solve overcrowding problems at the present detention center.
The long timetable includes two years of land preparation and seven years of construction -- the land lot on which the ammunition depot stands is around 90 hectares, of which 40 can be used after land preparation.
The new center will occupy 20 hectares, double the size of the current one.
More than 3,300 inmates are now housed in a facility designed to accommodate 2,134, official said. The new center will be able to accommodate 4,000 to 5,000 inmates.
The relocation will also benefit the treasury, as the land the current center occupies is worth NT$5 billion (US$152 million) to NT$6 billion, while the move is estimated to cost NT$2.1 billion.
The new center will be close to the Banciao Prosecutor's Office and the District Court.
Officials said they expect the relocation to bring prosperity to areas near the new center,where development is presently restricted due to the proximity of the ammunition depot.
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