Security at risk – call for help from prison: “Lost control”

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Prison guards from Graz-Jakomini prison point out their grievances in a letter. Such conditions would also exist in other local prisons – such as in Asten, Stein or Innsbruck – play.

It is a cry for help that has never been so clear. A cry for help that is terrifying. Prison guards – not (!) staff representatives, but commanders and deputies – of the prison of Graz-Jakomini emphasize in a letter to the prison management, which has the “Krone”: “We have lost control!”

Specifically, it states “that detainees do not follow our legal orders without sanctions, that the number of mentally disturbed detainees is increasing and that we are increasingly exposed to insults and verbal abuse”.

The letter also states that “security concerns are not taken seriously by all executives, non-compliant behavior by detainees is sanctioned far too late or too little, and you increasingly have to answer to the detainees for many officially correct activities.” The combination of these points greatly jeopardizes security in the prison “and therefore all of us”.

Civil servants put striking examples on the table
The commanders and deputies add some examples: There is a suspicion of illegal items in a department/cell. There was not enough staff for a search when it was needed, so it would be postponed indefinitely. As they go out to stay out, the inmates exchange or hand out pills for the officers – knowing full well that there will be little or no repercussions.

An employee was seriously injured by a detainee. It would be several days before this man would be transferred to another institution. A detainee is constantly shouting out the window at night, so that the residents are already complaining. Other than a warning, there are no consequences. A prisoner smeared the walls and was asked to erase the scribble. But he refuses. The work is done by the housekeepers/painters as the man has no money to pay for the damage. This list can be extended indefinitely.

“I warned about it then
Martin Johann Schöpf, member of the Central Commission for Prison Guards (#wirsindexekutive), is not surprised: “As early as 2019, under the then Minister of Justice Josef Moser, I strongly warned against further liberal measures in the new prison manual. The efforts even exceeded the current prison law and make the job of the prison guards even more difficult.After waiting several months, Clemens Jabloner, who later became Prime Minister, released this left-liberal manifesto, but did not make any major decisions during his tenure. Justice of the ÖVP, Michaela Steinacker, apparently successfully stopped by the relevant FCG officials in the prison guard, otherwise it is inexplicable that the People’s Party, as Chancellor, has been watching these efforts without doing anything.”

“The rights of the detainees are increasing”
The prison guard “would have needed more support at the time to make the work interesting, feasible and safe for young people,” says Schöpf. The opposite happened: “The rights of the detainees are increasing. Styria’s cry for help must urgently have a necessary constitutional ramification.”

Incidentally, such conditions should also take place in other domestic prisons, such as in Asten, Stein or Innsbruck. And in Graz-Jakomini complaints have been pointed out several times – but so far without success.

“Letter is currently being checked internally”
The Ministry of Justice is aware of the said letter. “This is currently being investigated internally. The next steps will be to take measures together with the head of the institution and the staff representatives to increase employee satisfaction,” said spokeswoman Sina Bründler.

The “general statement” that there are general grievances in prisons that endanger security and order and that are further promoted by the implementation of the Prison Handbook, which represents instructions for prison staff, “must be strongly rejected,” the statement said. spokeswoman. The Prison Handbook explains and defines the organizational and legal framework, but cannot replace the capacity of prison staff to act on their own initiative and under their own responsibility.

“Maintaining security and order in prisons is a core task of prison guards. Thorough cell checks, searches of companies or rooms, as well as checks of persons and their searches are carried out regularly. There are also occasion-related and random focus campaigns,” Bründler sums up, emphasizing: “The Austrian penal system is a modern detention system that focuses on human rights and the rehabilitation of prisoners.”

Source: Krone

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