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Photo by MHM55 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by MHM55 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Photo by Unknown authorUnknown author via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by MHM55 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by MHM55 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by MHM55 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by MHM55 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The Justizvollzugsanstalt Witzwil (Prison Witzwil) is a men's prison in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. It consists of a closed part and a number of minimum security habitation units. The prisoners work on the institution's huge farm estate on the territories of the municipalities Erlach, Gampelen and Ins in the canton of Bern and Haut-Vully in the canton of Fribourg. Former prisoners who are yet to find employment are also allowed to work on these farms. The main seat and official address are located in the community of Gampelen.
Source: Wikipedia article lead, CC-BY-SA.
Capacity
440
Current population
—
Occupancy
—
Year opened
1893
Operational
Figures from official sources · verified 3 Jul 2026 · methodology
Operator
Canton of BernePopulation held
Mixed/unknown
Opened
1893
Region
—
Security level
—
Death-row facility
No
e Personen im Strafvollzug. 34 Im September 2020. 35 Dazu wurde myJustice verwendet. 36 Aus der JVA Witzwil, aus dem Regionalgefängnis Bern, von der Polizei, aus dem offenen Vollzug, nach einer Rückkehr aus der BEWA oder Psychiatrie, aus der JVA St. Johannsen, aus anderen Regionalgefängnissen mit weniger als 10 Tage Aufenthalt oder bei Neueintritt in Freiheitsentzug. 37 Positiv getestete inhaftierte Personen wurden im Mai 2022 weiterhin während fünf Tagen isoliert. 38 Art. 31 Abs. 3 und 4 Bundesgesetz über die Bekämpfung übertragbarer Krankheiten des Menschen (Epidemi- engesetz, EpG) vom 28. September 2012, SR 818.101; Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), OHCHR and WHO, Interim Guidance COVID-19: Focus on Persons Deprived of Their Liberty, März 2020 (IASC, Interim Guid- ance), Seite 5; SPT, Advice: Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (SPT), Advice of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture to State Parties and Na- tional Preventive Mechanisms relating to the Coronavirus Pandemic, adopted on 25. März 2020 (SPT, Advice), Ziff. 7 und Ziff. 9 Abs. 14; CPT, Statement: Statement of principles relating to the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty in the context of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, 20. März 2020, CPT/INF(2020)13 (CPT, Statement), Ziff. 4; WHO, Preparedness, prevention and control of COVID-19 in prisons and other places of detention, Interim Guidance, 15 März 2020 (WHO, COVID-19 [...]
No visiting information available.
No mailing information available.
Contact the operator's website for inmate-specific procedures.
No major issues documented in our database.
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
What the score is responding to:
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
e Personen im Strafvollzug. 34 Im September 2020. 35 Dazu wurde myJustice verwendet. 36 Aus der JVA Witzwil, aus dem Regionalgefängnis Bern, von der Polizei, aus dem offenen Vollzug, nach einer Rückkehr aus der BEWA oder Psychiatrie, aus der JVA St. Johannsen, aus anderen Regionalgefängnissen mit weniger als 10 Tage Aufenthalt oder bei Neueintritt in Freiheitsentzug. 37 Positiv getestete inhaftierte Personen wurden im Mai 2022 weiterhin während fünf Tagen isoliert. 38 Art. 31 Abs. 3 und 4 Bundesgesetz über die Bekämpfung übertragbarer Krankheiten des Menschen (Epidemi- engesetz, EpG) vom 28. September 2012, SR 818.101; Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), OHCHR and WHO, Interim Guidance COVID-19: Focus on Persons Deprived of Their Liberty, März 2020 (IASC, Interim Guid- ance), Seite 5; SPT, Advice: Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (SPT), Advice of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture to State Parties and Na- tional Preventive Mechanisms relating to the Coronavirus Pandemic, adopted on 25. März 2020 (SPT, Advice), Ziff. 7 und Ziff. 9 Abs. 14; CPT, Statement: Statement of principles relating to the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty in the context of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, 20. März 2020, CPT/INF(2020)13 (CPT, Statement), Ziff. 4; WHO, Preparedness, prevention and control of COVID-19 in prisons and other places of detention, Interim Guidance, 15 März 2020 (WHO, COVID-19 [...]
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Under CC-BY-4.0. Include the URL and access date; the site is a living reference and entries can change.
World Prisons. (2026). Witzwil Prison. Retrieved July 21, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/witzwil-prison
"Witzwil Prison." World Prisons. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/witzwil-prison.
@misc{worldprisons-witzwil-prison,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {Witzwil Prison},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/witzwil-prison},
urldate = {2026-07-21}
}