Crime - Convicted offender escapes from preventive detention
A convicted criminal has escaped from custody during a supervised outing in Berlin from what is called preventive detention.
The man had been on the run since Saturday afternoon around 5:25 pm, according to the Justice-Senatsverwaltung. How he managed to escape is currently being investigated. The 57-year-old reportedly visited his mother in Berlin-Neukölln during this time. Two justice officials were reportedly accompanying him, according to inquiries.
The man was sentenced to five years in prison by the Senate for bodily harm and rape, according to the Senate administration. He had already served his sentence in 2015. Since then, he had been in preventive detention at JVA Tegel. The Senate administration stated that he had regularly been allowed to leave this institution. "The 42 escorts in total all went smoothly," the Senate administration added.
Unlike prison, preventive detention is not a punishment. Its purpose is to protect the public from offenders who have already served their sentence but are still considered dangerous. The conditions in preventive detention must therefore be significantly better than in prison. There must also be a greater therapy offering.
- Due to the escape, authorities are considering implementing stricter measures for preventive detention inmates to prevent future incidences in Germany.
- The man's escape from preventive detention in Berlin has raised concerns about the effectiveness of preventive detention as a method to prevent criminal offenses.
- In light of the escaped criminal's history, the Berlin prosecutor is looking into charging him with a new criminal offense upon his capture.
- The German justice system is under scrutiny after the incident, with critics arguing that the current preventive detention system fails to adequately ensure the safety of the public.
