Despite the tense situation in the correctional facility According to the Ministry of Social Affairs, Brandenburg has so far been able to house convicted criminals. 320 people are currently being accommodated, the occupancy capacity is 269 places, the ministry said on request.
Nevertheless, in the past three years, all convicts for whom the court had ordered accommodation have been admitted. In Berlin, the forensic prison has been overloaded for years. According to the Senate Health Administration, 600 patients are currently accommodated there (as of March 10th). Only 541 beds are approved.
Criminals are put into a psychiatric prison if a court classifies them as having psychiatric problems or being addicted. Two convicted criminals were recently released early from prison due to a lack of space. More such cases are imminent: According to the latest information from the Berlin public prosecutor’s office, 16 convicted men are currently waiting to be sent to the penitentiary. Health Senator Ulrike Gote (Greens) spoke to around 15 to 25 people at the end of February.
In the capital, an interdepartmental working group is now to develop a master plan with short, medium and long-term measures by the end of June. The plan is to create 60 new prison places on the site of the existing facility in Reinickendorf by 2025. That should cost around 53 million euros. A renovated building with about 12 clinical places should be available there in about three months.
The capacities are not sufficient in many federal states. According to a report by a federal-state working group, there were around 5,280 people in prison in 2020, compared to around 1,370 in 1995. (dpa)
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