Sark Prison - the cutest correctional facility on the island of the same name (10 photos)
People commit crimes and must serve their sentences in prison. But if the offenses are not particularly serious, but the person must be punished, what should be done then? There is a solution - to place the offender in a specific prison. Like the one located on the British island of Sark. 
One of the smallest (and perhaps the smallest) prisons in the world boasts only two small cells. Moreover, it began functioning in 1856 and is still working. 
The island is small
These days there are not many prisoners there, but sometimes you can meet seasonal workers or vacationers who have had too much to drink. 
Just like prison
Sark is an amazing little island in the Channel Islands, located off the coast of Normandy, France. Its length is slightly less than 5 kilometers, its width is 1.5 kilometers, and its population is about five hundred people. This is one of the tiniest inhabited islands in the English Channel. 
Despite its small size, Sark has a long and fascinating history. The first written mention dates back to 1040, when William of Normandy (later William the Conqueror) donated it to the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel. In 1549, the island came under French rule, but it was soon recaptured by the British, and the piece of land was often visited by smugglers and pirates. 
The strategically important island was occupied by the Germans during World War II. It was also considered the last feudal state in Europe until 2006, when universal suffrage and democracy were officially introduced. And in 2011, Sark received the honor of becoming the world's first dark sky island - residents deliberately abandoned artificial lighting at night in order to combat light pollution. 
Built in 1856, the tiny barrel-roofed prison consists of two adjoining cells, one 1.8 by 1.8 meters and the other 1.8 by 2.4 meters. In front of the cells there is a narrow meter-long corridor stretching along the entire length of the building. It has no windows. 
One of the first prisoners was a young servant girl, imprisoned for stealing a scarf from her mistress. She was kept in prison for three days. The poor girl was so afraid of being locked in a dark, windowless cell that the locals took pity and allowed her to place her chair in the open doorway, where the local ladies sat with her, knitted, talked and provided moral support until she served her sentence. Crime is truly rare on Sark these days. There are two volunteer police officers in the ranks of constable and wingtenier (assistant constable). 
The last major crime occurred in 1990, when an unemployed French nuclear physicist named André Gardes launched a one-man invasion of the island, claiming to be the rightful lord (or lord) of Sark. He arrived on the island armed with a semi-automatic rifle and posted two signs explaining his intentions. The next day he began the second stage of his plan, but immediately received a banal and painful blow to the nose from a constable and was arrested. 
Since Gardes's invasion, the constable and wingtenier had rarely had to deal with anyone more dangerous than citizens who had accidentally overindulged in intoxicating drinks. 
Most of the prison's temporary residents are intoxicated seasonal workers and inebriated tourists who spent the night in one of two cells before regaining consciousness and the ability to think clearly.
