Terrible conditions

2 drug-related deaths in Graz prison in just 14 days

The long-suffering Graz-Jakomini prison(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Turbulent scenes are currently unfolding in Graz-Jakomini prison. There have been two drug-related deaths in the last two weeks alone. The staffing situation is on the verge of collapse and staff representatives are once again raising the alarm. Will they be heard this time?

"Nothing works anymore", "we can't cope", "please do something" - cries for help like these have been heard from our prisons many times before. A lot has been promised by politicians, but according to prison staff representatives, exactly nothing has been done. On the contrary: the situation has even worsened! One of the reasons for this is that a number of prisoners were released during the coronavirus pandemic. These convicts are now starting their prison sentences. The result is overcrowding in almost all prisons. The Ministry of Justice has therefore simply increased the statutory maximum number of inmates by 15 percent. However, this has not solved the situation, but only made it worse (see interview with Norbert Dürnberger, Chairman of the Central Judicial Guard Committee).