...about Imprisonment.

Imprisonment has two main tasks, which are described in section 2 of the Prison Code of Saxony-Anhalt (JVollzGB LSA):

1. The prisoners will be prepared for a life free of crime and

2. the public are protected from further offences committed by the prisoners.

Preparation for a life free of crime also means the reintegration (social reintegration) of the prisoner. In order to achieve this, constant and individual assistance and treatment are important. Imprisonment has the task of organising and implementing the support of prisoners from the beginning of their imprisonment.

Imprisonment offers a wide range of services in this regard. This includes, for example, individually oriented schooling, counselling and individual support, social training, and even offers of individual psychotherapy and social therapy approved on a case-by-case basis.

The penal institutions have different departments. We present some of them in the following.

Penal institutions have partly different tasks, for example, high security prisons differ from other prisons.

In addition, imprisonment in Germany are organised differently depending on the state, and there are different amounts of penal institutions with different structures.

The legal regulations for all topics of imprisonment are defined in the Penal Code of Saxony-Anhalt (JVollzGB LSA).

There are currently in Saxony-Anhalt

Es gibt derzeit in Sachsen-Anhalt

• 3 penal institution for adults (JVA Burg, JVA Halle, JVA Volkstedt)
• 1 facility for execution of youth penalty (JA Raßnitz)
• 1 youth detention centre (JAA Halle).

If a person is sentenced to a prison sentence, he or she must serve it in a penal institution. The penal institution is either a prison or an open prison. Open prison has fewer security measures and prisoners can move around more freely and take part in all the leisure, sports and treatment measures offered. Nevertheless, they are supervised and looked after all day within the open prison and have to comply with conditions.

Most prisoners in open prison can engage in work if they receive authorisation from the penal institutions and have found a job. They can then leave the penal institution in the morning and have to return to the penal institution at the end of their shift and overnight. Additional time outside of the penal institution must also be approved by the institution. At the workplace, regular checks are carried out by prison staff. Employers are contractually obliged to report irregularities to the penal institution. After all, prisoners are under constant supervision and control in open prison as well, but here in a less restrictive way.

Prisoners or juvenile prisoners are given the opportunity to be transferred to the open prison if they meet certain requirements. These requirements can be fulfilled if the prison sees no danger of the prisoner fleeing or committing offences again.

Prisoners and juvenile prisoners are considered unsuitable if:

• they are considered to be at significant risk of addiction,
• have attempted to flee or have fled during the current deprivation of liberty,
• they did not return voluntarily from the last short leave or leave from custody or
• they are expected to commit a new offence.

Further reasons for unsuitability are the existence of deportation, extradition proceedings, preliminary investigation or criminal proceeding or if it is to be expected that the prisoners will exert a negative influence on other prisoners.

According to statistics, about 6 % of convicted people are women.

In Saxony-Anhalt has no penal institution for women serving longer penalties of imprisonment. Imprisoned women living in Saxony-Anhalt are accommodated in the penal institution in Luckau-Duben (from 3 months of imprisonment).

Only the penal institution in Halle accepts women who do not have to serve more than 3 months in prison, for example if a default imprisonment has to be served. Also the open prison of the penal institution in Halle is suitable for women.

The open prison in Halle is often used as preparations for release if the imprisoned woman has her home close by.

Women and men are always accommodated separately. To some extent, women are offered other leisure activities and other job options than men.

In Germany, besides the imprisonment, there are also institutions for detention in a psychiatric hospital and in a detoxification centre for alcoholics or drug addicts. In German this is called Maßregelvollzug.

In institutions of the Maßregelvollzug, convicted persons who were not criminal responsible at the time of the offence are accommodated.
This means when the persons were not capable of understanding the wrong and thus could not have decided against the offence.
The reason for this can be, for example, psychological disorders or a addiction disease (drugs and alcohol).

Sentenced persons in the Maßregelvollzug are not regarded as prisoners but as patients. Therapeutic teams under specialist medical supervision take care of them. Different types of therapy are available in the Maßregelvollzug.

The aim of forensic placement is to enable persons to live an independent and crime-free life within society after therapy.

People who are not criminal responsible due to addiction are accommodated in the Forensic Psychiatric Clinic in Bernburg. Here, section 64 of the German Criminal Code applies.

People who are not criminally responsible due to a mental illness are accommodated in the Forensic Psychiatric Clinic in Uchtspringe. Here, section 63 of the German Criminal Code applies.

The state of Saxony-Anhalt has entrusted Salus gGmbH with the implementation of the Maßregelvollzug. On their website you find more information about the Maßregelvollzug.