Mercy before Christmas - 17 prisoners released early
This year, 17 prisoners in Saxony-Anhalt are expected to benefit from the so-called Christmas amnesty. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice in Magdeburg announced that they would receive the reprieve on the occasion of Christmas and could therefore be released from prison early. The earliest date is this Thursday (November 30).
Of the 17 prisoners known so far this year, a total of 286 prison days will probably not be enforced. This corresponds to an average of around 17 days per person, according to the statement. The figures are provisional and may still change.
In 2022, 20 prisoners benefited from the Christmas reprieve and 509 prison days were not enforced. In 2021, 25 prisoners were released early in this context, and 26 in the previous year. No clear reason for the decrease is known. "Pardons are never granted arbitrarily, but are linked to the fulfillment of conditions," it said.
Early release is only an option if the prisoner is due to be released between December 1, 2023 and January 6, 2024 anyway, for example because the final end of their sentence falls within this period or they have been granted parole. They must not have attracted negative attention while in prison.
As of October 31, 2023, there were 1545 people in prisons in Saxony-Anhalt, according to the Ministry of Justice.
Prisoners are also released early in most other federal states thanks to the Christmas reprieve. Last year, according to figures at the time, more than 1,000 offenders were released early from prison nationwide by mid-December. As a matter of principle, Bavaria never grants pardons at the end of the year.
In Berlin, the first offenders were released early this year just under a month before Christmas Eve thanks to the so-called Christmas amnesty. According to the Senate Justice Administration, a total of more than 90 prisoners are benefiting this year. According to the figures so far, this is significantly fewer than in the past.
The decrease in prisoners released early during the holiday season might raise questions about the penal system's justice, considering the tradition of granting reprieves. This year, despite the lower number, crimes committed by those receiving early release should still be monitored closely to ensure justice is upheld within the turn of the year.
Source: www.dpa.com
