Buca Prison shut down after 62 years

İZMİR

A well-known prison in the Aegean province of İzmir has been closed after hosting more than 600,000 inmates in 62 years.

The İzmir Closed and Open Penitentiary Institution, also known as the Buca Prison, which was evacuated after a 6.6-magnitude earthquake that occurred last year, was shut down following an approval of the Justice Ministry.

Built as 16 blocks on an area of 80 decares in Buca district in 1959, the prison which has been tried to be closed for years for being located in the city center, was damaged in the last earthquake.

Justice Minister Abdülhamit Gül said the prison land will be used in the best way, but no official statement has been made yet regarding the area where it is said that an earthquake-resistant building will be erected.

Buca Prison, which was one of Turkey’s two largest penitentiary institutions together with Bayrampaşa Prison at the time it was built, hosted many famous prisoners such as İbrahim Tatlıses and Bülent Ersoy throughout its time operating.

Some scenes of “Dry Summer,” known as “Susuz Yaz” in Turkish, an awarded 1964-made black-and-white Turkish masterpiece directed by Metin Erksan, were also shot in this prison.