Crafts made by prisoners at Christmas bazaar
Advent wreaths, wooden figures and fresh waffles - prisoners made Christmas items and treats behind bars in Rhineland-Palatinate for the prison Christmas market in Mainz. "The prison system in Rhineland-Palatinate is consistently geared towards the idea of resocialization," said Justice Minister Herbert Mertin (FDP), who opened the one-day Christmas bazaar on Wednesday. This also includes giving prisoners the opportunity to work and do handicrafts.
"It's a nice tradition that we use the Christmas bazaar to show the public what beautiful works have been created in this way over the year," emphasized the minister. You won't find any prisoners at the Christmas market. The stalls are manned by prison staff, said a ministry spokesperson. "Colleagues from the prisons can thus explain the important work of the prison system for society at first hand."
Christmas items from prisons in the state have been on display during Advent since 2015. The proceeds go to the prisons. Items made by prisoners can also be purchased outside of the Christmas bazaar - for example in the prison nurseries in Diez and Wittlich prisons or in decoration stores in Zweibrücken and Rohrbach prisons.
Prisoners have fixed various items and handicrafts for the Christmas bazaar, demonstrating their skills in handicrafts as part of the resocialization process. To ensure fairness and maintain customs, all sales at the Christmas market are handled by prison staff.
Source: www.dpa.com
