New Homes from Old Prisons

Source: Spotlight English

Transcript

Voice 1

Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Liz Waid.

Voice 2

And I’m Colin Lowther. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is
easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1

A man walks slowly through a long building. All the doors in this place look the same.
They are thick. They have heavy locks on them. The man is in a prison. But when he gets to
his door he opens it and smiles. His daughter happily runs to him and cries out his name.
He can smell the food his wife has cooked for their meal. He is happy to be home. This
man and his family are living in a prison that has been made into a home.

Voice 2

In The Netherlands many prisons have been closed. Instead, they have been made into
homes for refugees from around the world. Today’s Spotlight is on this creative housing
project.

Voice 1

Many prisons in The Netherlands are empty. Since 2010, more than 20 prisons here have
closed. This is about one-third of all prisons in The Netherlands. And that number is rising
every year. Prisons are closing because the crime rate has been going down every year. And
methods of punishment are changing. Tom Coggins is a writer for the website Culture Trip.
He wrote,

Voice 3

“National statistics suggest that crime rates in the Netherlands have gone down by about
0.9 percent every year. Even people found guilty rarely face long prison sentences. The
Dutch legal system, most of the time, does not have strong punishments. Instead they use
fines or use devices people wear on their leg so the government knows where there are.
They do this instead of only using prisons.”

Voice 2

People from the Netherlands are practical people. If something is not working, they will
change it. René van Swaaningen is a professor of criminology at Erasmus School of Law in
Rotterdam. He explained to the New York Times the attitude toward crime in The
Netherlands.

Voice 4

“The Dutch value what works. This is true when it comes to making laws and keeping
order. Prisons cost a lot of money. In a place like the United States, people often look at the
moral reasons for putting someone in prison. But the Netherlands looks at what is working
and what could work better.”

Voice 1

So in the last few years, prisons in The Netherlands were closing. But at this same time,
millions of people across Europe were also looking for a safe place to live. There was a war
in the country of Syria. Over six million people had to leave the country. Other refugees
came from countries like Afghanistan, South Sudan, Iraq, and Somalia. These people
wanted a safe place to live and work. Some countries in Europe did not welcome these
people. But many countries did want to help. However, it was difficult to know how to take
care of so many people. Simply finding homes was a challenge. In 2015 alone, more than
60,000 refugees entered The Netherlands.

Voice 2

The Netherlands saw a creative way to help this situation. The Central Agency for the
Reception of Asylum Seekers, or COA, is responsible for managing people escaping from
other countries. They decided to use the empty prisons as homes for refugees. In 2017, the
COA opened 12 centers for refugees.

Voice 1

However, the government did not want people to feel like they were in prison. They needed
to change the prisons. At some prisons they removed walls. They planted trees and flowers.
They made places for children to play and run. They combined two prison rooms to make
them larger and better for families. They added places to cook food, exercise, and take
language and computer classes.

Voice 2

It is still clear that the buildings used to be prisons. They still look like prisons. There are
strong doors and locks. There are gates. But the people there are not criminals. They have
different rules. Refugees are not permitted to work. They receive money from the
government for basic needs. They may leave the building and return when they want to.
They can ride a bicycle, which is very common in the Netherlands. They need to tell the
people working at the refugee center when they leave and return. This is to keep everyone
safe. Many centers offer classes in the Dutch language, computers, or other skills.

Voice 1

Refugees do not live in the centers forever. But they live there for at least six months. Their
goal is to become citizens of The Netherlands. Sometimes the process can go slowly.
People may even be approved to live in The Netherlands, but they have nowhere to go yet.

Voice 2

And living in a different country requires people to learn a whole new culture. Nasr came to
the Netherlands from Syria. He spoke to Aljazeera about moving to a new country and how
he is starting to fit in.

Voice 5

"It was difficult to live in a new culture. But I started going out and speaking to people and
finding a job. Now, most of my friends are Dutch."

Voice 1

Living in these prisons is not always wonderful. But it is not terrible either. Muhammed
Muheisen did not think using prisons in the way was a good idea at first. He is a
photographer for the Associated Press. He has worked for years taking pictures of refugees
in Europe and the Middle East. When he heard about this project, he could not imagine
anything but a prison. He did not like the idea of putting refugees in a prison. After six
months, he was permitted to visit a refugee centre and take pictures. He explained to
National Geographic,

Voice 6

“I did not exactly understand. I thought it would feel like they were in prison.”

Voice 2

Muheisen visited three different centers. He spent over a month visiting people and seeing
their lives. He gained a much different understanding. The centers could even be
considered beautiful in the way different people live together. He explained,

Voice 6

“We are talking about people from many different countries. There is the whole world
represented in this place.”
Voice 1

What do you think about this way to use prisons? Have you ever had to leave your country?
Where did you go? Tell us about your experiences. You can leave a comment on our
website. Or email us at radio@radioenglish.net. You can also comment on Facebook at
Facebook.com/spotlightradio.

Voice 2

The writer of this program was Adam Navis. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices
you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted
for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it,
on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net. This program is called, “New Homes from
Old Prisons”.

Voice 1

Visit our website to download our free listening app for Android and Apple devices. We
hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

Question:
Have you ever had to leave your country? Where did you go?