Justice - 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 on Sunday. 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 the year 2015. Since then, he had been in preventive detention at JVA Tegel. The Senate administration stated that he had regularly been able to leave this custody. "The 42 escorts all ran 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. Since preventive detention is not a punishment, the conditions must be significantly better than in prison. There must also be a greater therapy offer.
The escaped prisoner's history in Germany includes a five-year sentence for rape and bodily harm, served from 2015, followed by preventive detention due to continued danger. Authorities are now questioning whether the escape from Berlin's JVA Tegel on Sunday violates the improved conditions and therapeutic opportunities offered in preventive detention. The man's visit to his mother in Berlin-Neukölln during his supervised outing raises concerns about potential weaknesses in the preventive detention system. The Berlin Justice-Senatsverwaltung has acknowledged two justice officials were present during the outing, but their role in the man's escape remains under investigation.
