The State Prison in Vridsløselille

The State Prison in Vridsløselille is a prison located in Albertslund in the suburbs of Copenhagen in Denmark.

The prison is used for the enforcement of imprisonment and execution of arrests and has a total of 241 inmates. The State Prison in Vridsløselille only receives men over age of 23 years from across Zealand to be placed in a closed prison facility. There are no female inmates at The State Prison in Vridsløselille. The prison is scheduled for closure by the end of 2015, when a new prison on Falster will take its place.

In 1859 the small jail in Vridsløselille was improved to use the "Philadelphia System". This system involved a total isolation of prisoners around the clock with the aim that they should have time and opportunity to repent their sins and reconcile themselves with God.

All time was spent in jail cell - both work and free time. Prisoners were only allowed outside their cells while wearing a mask, rendering them unrecognisable to other prisoners. This method was maintained until 1924, after which it was optional to be masked.

No conversation or contact between prisoners was allowed. At the prison school and church the prisoners were placed in small bays, so they could see the teachers or the priest - but not each other.

The isolation principle was maintained well into the 1900s at The State Prison in Vridsløselille.

The State Prison in Vridsløselille is known through Erik Balling's movies about the Olsen Gang (Danish: Olsen Banden). Almost all the movies begin and end in front of the prison's main entrance.

When the actor behind the series' protagonist, Ove Sprogøe, died in September 2004 people began talking about whether the road then named Fængselsvej (Prison Road) between Roskildevej and the prison should be renamed after Ove Sprogøe's famous character from the movies, Egon Olsen. After some debate back and forth the name was changed to Egon Olsen Road (Danish: Egon Olsens Vej) by the Municipality of Albertslund. On 21 December 2004 the name was officially put in use by the public.

...
Wikipedia