exercise in eisenstadt

And the power is out: blackout in prison

Lights out! The power was turned off for a day in the prison and at the regional court. We are prepared for a blackout.

(Bild: Harald Schume)

What happens when the power goes out in the justice center? An emergency was simulated for a day in Eisenstadt and the exercise went well. Nobody escaped.

A queasy feeling when entering the building: You don't want to stay here for more than twenty minutes. So: stay calm!

Fewer tugs as guests
Colonel Klaus Faymann can understand these thoughts, even though he has to go through the high-security door every day - he has been head of the Eisenstadt prison since July 1, 2023, where 63 guards are on duty. "A few months ago, we still had 230 inmates here," says the Burgenland native. "Now the situation at the border has eased. There are fewer people being smuggled in. As of today, there are 178 detainees here. That's within reasonable limits."

So gone are the days when bunk beds had to be set up in the cells or criminals slept on mattresses on the floor.

People would rather not see the inside of the prison.

(Bild: Huber Patrick)

Cells are locked manually
The justice center was completed in 2016. It can therefore be described as ultra-modern. And escape-proof - no one has ever managed to escape. But what happens if the power is cut? "Even then, the chance is zero," says Faymann. "The cells are locked with keys." And what else?

For the first time, a blackout was simulated at the Justice Center. In the morning in the prison, in the afternoon at the regional court. 20 people from Netz Burgenland, electrical companies and the federal real estate company were on site. The diesel-powered emergency generator started up immediately and could theoretically be recharged after three days. In this case, the fire department would be contacted.

The cameras in the corridor failed. And there were problems in the kitchen. Even in a blackout, it's almost impossible to break out at our place.

Oberst Klaus Faymann, Leiter der Justizanstalt Eisenstadt

Bild: Harald Schume

"We have to readjust a few things in the food supply, i.e. the kitchen," says Faymann. "And the cameras in the corridor have failed." As the entrance and exit doors are battery-powered, there were no problems here either.

Weak points at the provincial court
A few minor weaknesses were discovered at the provincial court, which President Karl Mitterhöfer does not want to go into in detail. "We don't have security issues in this form. We have checked whether the internet telephone system works, whether the online doors work and whether the IT starts up properly afterwards."

Despite everything, the Justice Center is most beautiful from the outside!