Constructed in 1972 under the reign of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi with a lofty budget and with the help of his European and American allies, Evin Correction Center is located in a residential and commercial area known as Evin, next to the Saadat Abad district in north of Tehran, technically on the Mountain Damavand. There is a large park area with a popular upscale teahouse and restaurant located immediately next to it.
Before entering the facility, there is the inmates’ cooperative sector. Here is a place where interested inmates can receive technical and vocational education and are put to work in various sections. They can even earn money by working and provide money to their families. One of the largest workshops in Evin specializes in clothing.
There is also a woodcarving and crafts workshop there. In this workshop, too, the inmates are trained to produce handicrafts and sell them at a sales market there.
In another part of the facility, there is a Zurkhaneh – Persian traditional gymnasium which combines martial arts, calisthenics, strength training and music. This Zurkhaneh became operational in May 2015 with a number of philanthropists budgeting the project. According to those in charge of the facility, the warden of Evin Center exercises with the inmates every week.
Evin also includes an amphitheater. A large hall with 300 seats that screens movies two times a week and hosts national and religious ceremonies.
The inmates are entitled to civil rights; inside each section there are barbershops, restaurant and a supermarket. There is also a room for doing laundries and dry cleaning.
Every section accommodates 8 to 9 inmates in one room. The rooms are all carpeted and come with a television, a refrigerator, a shoe case and shelves. There are also bunk beds.
The inmates may choose not to eat the facility’s food and instead buy ingredients from the supermarket and cook their own meals.
But do all inmates use these facilities? Most just prefer to spend their time at their cells, or walk in the yard and smoke a cigarette or two.
Their minds are preoccupied with the thought of home. Even the best of facilities can never measure up to the exhilarating sense of freedom.