Costs millions

Taxpayers pay for 42,863 prisoner seals

The latest figures are causing debate.(Bild: P. Huber)

How much does it cost taxpayers to provide healthcare for prisoners in Austrian prisons? The "Krone" has the latest figures and data, which are really quite something.

The FPÖ wanted to shed light on the matter and submitted several parliamentary questions in December last year, which have now been answered by Health Minister Johannes Rauch (who is currently standing in for Justice Minister Alma Zadić while she is on maternity leave).

2.3 million euros for dental fillings
This shows, for example, that dental surgeries are set up in almost all prisons and forensic therapy centers. Between January 2022 and September 2024, exactly 42,863 dental fillings were administered to inmates. With currently 8823 inmates (as of February 1, 2025), this corresponds to an average of one filling for every inmate every six months. In 2022, there were 14,774 dental fillings (cost: 715,464.90 euros), in 2023 there were 15,937 (cost: 879,616.60 euros) and by September 2024 there were 12,152 (cost: 706,044.50 euros). That's a total cost of 2.3 million euros. 

We would also have liked to compare the waiting time of an inmate for an MRI appointment with that of a free citizen. However, Federal Minister Rauch evaded this question.

NR Harald Schuh (FPÖ)

Amalgam was billed as the filling material for posterior teeth, while light-cured plastics were billed for anterior teeth. This corresponds to the fee schedule for contract dentists, which forms the basis for the billing of dental services to social insurance companies. Specific data for external dental treatment is not available electronically.

There is a dental clinic in almost every prison.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

Criticism from the Freedom Party
"Amalgam fillings have been banned in the EU since the beginning of the year. While the free population is faced with the problem that the ÖGK and the Chamber of Dentists cannot agree on a solution for new fillings, dental fillings continue to be diligently applied in prisons - at tax expense and without amalgam," emphasizes Harald Schuh of the FPÖ.

37 million euros for external interventions
The total costs for external health treatments, for example at hospitals, amounted to around 37 million euros between 2022 and 2024. "We are observing that prisoners are making increasingly brazen demands, threatening staff with the Ombudsman's Office and forcing expensive health treatments outside the prison. Every day, around 34,000 euros are spent on these so-called 'executions', not even taking into account the considerable additional personnel costs," explains NR Schuh and adds: "There is significant potential for savings here. It is unacceptable that those who are rightly behind bars enjoy better care than innocent citizens."

Focus also on special food 
In addition to the costs of healthcare, the costs of special types of food for inmates - for example kosher, halal, vegetarian and vegan - are also listed. A total of 204,423 euros was spent on this between 2022 and 2024 (reporting date: November 30).