Ljubljana - Construction of a new prison for women in Ig on the outskirts of Ljubljana is expected to start this year and be completed in 2025. It is estimated to cost EUR 43 million, the Justice Ministry said in a release after Minister Marjan Dikaučič visited Ig prison as part of Friday's government visit to southern Central Slovenia.

The only penal facility for women in Slovenia, Ig Prison is currently located in an old castle.

A new facility is designed to ensure adequate living and security conditions for all inmates, including mothers, juveniles and elderly convicts, and adequate working conditions for the staff, the ministry said.

It will feature detention and closed wards, while the semi-open and open wards are planned as part of the reconstruction of the castle.

The building permit was acquired in 2020, while on-site archaeological investigations were completed in 2021.

Dikaučič also visited some other institutions in Osrednjeslovenska statistical region, including the Local Court in Grosuplje.