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Higher occupancy in prisons: Almost 9700 people in custody

Bavaria's prisons are getting fuller again. The coronavirus measures are being scaled back and less space is needed for quarantines, for example. However, prisoners are far from stepping on each other's toes.

View from a prison cell in the Nuremberg correctional facility (JVA). Photo.aussiedlerbote.de
View from a prison cell in the Nuremberg correctional facility (JVA). Photo.aussiedlerbote.de

Crime - Higher occupancy in prisons: Almost 9700 people in custody

As the coronavirus pandemic subsides, Bavaria's prisons are getting fuller again: according to the latest data from the end of October, 9,658 prison places were occupied in the state. Last year, the average was 9032. The lower occupancy figures in 2021 and 2022 were intentional and not representative, the Bavarian Ministry of Justice in Munich told Deutsche Presse-Agentur when asked. This is because the number of new admissions was reduced during the coronavirus pandemic in order to create space for quarantines, for example. "Since then, the occupancy figures have been rising steadily again."

Bavaria has 36 prisons and 6 youth detention centers with a total of 11,922 places - so there is still plenty of capacity available. "The Bavarian prison system is using the current low prisoner numbers in particular to reduce the occupancy of communal areas and place prisoners predominantly in solitary confinement," explained the ministry.

By far the largest proportion of prisoners in prisons are male - 9073 men compared to 585 women. Just under two thirds (6304) of all inmates were serving a sentence. This includes 43 people - all men - who are in preventive detention after their actual prison sentence due to the seriousness of their crime. A further 3087 people were in pre-trial detention on the reporting date, 158 men and women were in custody pending deportation. 141 people were still minors.

Most of the inmates (1643) were most recently in custody for crimes against persons (excluding road traffic), including assault, manslaughter and murder. Theft and embezzlement also landed many (1083) behind bars, followed by other property offenses (798). 577 were imprisoned for sexual assault and rape.

Read also:

  1. The Ministry of Justice in Munich, part of the German government's Ministry of Justice, addressed the German Press Agency regarding the increasing occupancy rates in Bavarian prisons.
  2. At the turn of the year, prisons in Bavaria are experiencing a higher occupancy rate, with 9,658 individuals in custody as of October 2022.
  3. Despite the higher occupancy, Bavaria's prisons still have capacity, with a total of 11,922 prison places across 36 prisons and 6 youth detention centers.
  4. The majority of those in custody are men, accounting for 9073 out of the 9658 individuals, with women making up only 585.
  5. In Bavarian prisons, criminality ranges across various charges, with the largest proportion incarcerated for crimes against persons, including assault, manslaughter, and murder.
  6. As the coronavirus pandemic subsides and occupied prisons increase, the Bavarian Ministry of Justice is utilizing this period to reduce communal area occupancy and place prisoners predominantly in solitary confinement.

Source: www.stern.de

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