So, when you hear the expression “doing Swiss time,” you’re likely thinking about cogs and cuckoos — not prisons.  Reported on ripleys.com,  more than 832 individuals summited applications hoping for a chance to spend a few nights in a new Swiss jail facility.  According to Zurich corrections authorities, the test run for staying in the facility is scheduled from March 24 through 27. That said, they’re still working out details before they start accepting faux prisoners.  Nevertheless, we do know that the Zurich West Prison is located west of the city’s central train station and will house roughly 117 people awaiting trial and 124 people under “provisional arrest.” Officials have yet to announce how many volunteers they’ll accept for the practice run. To qualify, they must be at least 18 years old and prepared for a realistic detention experience.

VOLUNTEERS FOR THE CLINKER

What else do we know about the experience volunteers should expect? For starters, they won’t pay anything, and they also shouldn’t expect to get paid for their time in jail. Daily life will include going through intake procedures, testing food, walking the yard, and sleeping in a cell. Cellphones and other electronic devices must be left at the door when checking in, and every volunteer will need a security clearance. To obtain this clearance, participants must go through a security checkpoint similar to airport TSA. And as for strip searches? According to officials, those are voluntary. (Whew!) Read more on this story here.