Rejection of Plakolm

Sporrer: “Educate children, don’t lock them up”

Nachrichten
07.12.2025 12:59

What to do with young people who commit crimes but are not of criminal age? The government agrees that there is a need for action here, but the question is how. Justice Minister Anna Sporrer (SPÖ) has now clearly rejected a proposal by Family Minister Claudia Plakolm (ÖVP).

In the heated debate about how to deal with juveniles who break the law - sparked by the Anna case - Plakolm had spoken out in October in favor of "educational institutions" for serious offenders under the age of 14. The Minister of Justice has no sympathy for this proposal, as she made clear on ORF's "Pressestunde" on Sunday. This is about children, and "children belong educated, not locked up", the SPÖ politician emphasized.

"Getting children off the streets"
Instead, Sporrer wants to push for placement in socio-therapeutic residential communities. This offer is to be expanded. The aim is to "get children off the streets" and "put them back on the right track" using educational means, as the minister said.

Sporrer (right) answered questions from Petra Stuiber (Standard) and Christoph Varga (ORF).
Sporrer (right) answered questions from Petra Stuiber (Standard) and Christoph Varga (ORF).(Bild: Screenshot/on.orf.at)
Minister of Justice Anna Sporrer (SPÖ)
Minister of Justice Anna Sporrer (SPÖ)(Bild: Screenshot/on.orf.at)

Another measure being planned is house arrest for under-14-year-olds, and the legal basis for this is currently being created, Sporrer announced. Keeping children at home is not to be equated with detention, it is a "measure within the framework of state youth welfare", she emphasized.

New youth detention center in full operation from January
Criminal law will therefore continue to only apply from the age of 14. The new Münnichplatz prison in Vienna-Simmering will be fully operational for juvenile offenders from January 2026. According to the minister, this delays the start of operations by months, partly due to monument protection requirements. In the new prison, young people will be taught behind bars and be able to complete an apprenticeship. They will also be able to complete compulsory schooling. It is important that there are no more juveniles in adult prisons.

The Minister of Justice denied reports that there had been parties with prison inmates at Münnichplatz. "There were no parties with inmates," said Sporrer. Only young people had tried to climb over the fence, she qualified: "The young people of today have very interesting ideas." 

This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.

Loading...
00:00 / 00:00
Abspielen
Schließen
Aufklappen
kein Artikelbild
Loading...
Vorige 10 Sekunden
Zum Vorigen Wechseln
Abspielen
Zum Nächsten Wechseln
Nächste 10 Sekunden
00:00
00:00
1.0x Geschwindigkeit
Loading
Kommentare Banner - Die Stimme Österreichs

Hinweis in eigener Sache: Das krone.at-Forum präsentiert sich ab sofort in neuem Design! Wir freuen uns über konstruktives Feedback. Damit die Diskussionen in den Kommentarbereichen beim jeweiligen Thema bleiben, können Sie uns Rückmeldungen hier hinterlassen.

Kostenlose Spiele
Vorteilswelt

Magazine der Kronen Zeitung