Iraqi Rehabilitation Center Moving Along in Fine Fashion

Post Saddam Reconstruction
Originally uploaded by Sydney Weasel.

By Claude D. McKinney, Gulf Region North, US Army Corps of Engineers

Tikrit, Iraq — Hundreds of Iraq inmates will have the opportunity to train in meaningful professions and job skills when the Dahuk Rehabilitation Center is completed in October 2006. For the first time in Iraq, the Dahuk government is participating in a cost-share program to complete the center.

This French design-built correctional facility is the only one of its type in Iraq. Most of the existing rehabilitation centers in Iraq are from 1980’s designs or earlier. This new design allows inmates of all types to be housed in one location. It will accommodate 750-1000 inmates, and have separate corridors for adult males, juveniles, women with light sentences (less than 5 years), and women with heavy sentences (greater than 5 years). The facility will also have a hospital, visitation area, and workshops for rehabilitation.

This project is significant on two fronts. First is the sheer size and scale of the project, its economic impact on the local community during construction, and the operation requirements that will follow for years to come. Second, cost-share is a new concept. Having the local governance share the cost of construction is a new model of cooperation that will allow Iraq to move forward in reconstruction efforts at a much faster rate. {Clickon image for details}