Society - More older prisoners in Saxony: two men from GDR times
There are still two men in prison in Saxony who were convicted under GDR criminal law. They were imprisoned for murder as well as murder and sexual abuse, as the Ministry of Justice announced on request.
In the second case, the trail only led to the perpetrator after 30 years. In April 1987, an 18-year-old girl was brutally raped and killed in Vogtland. In 2017, the Zwickau Regional Court sentenced an early retiree from Gera to life imprisonment and also found him to be especially guilty. The judges had applied a combination of the GDR 's murder paragraph and federal German law. The Federal Court of Justice ruled in 2018 that this was permissible and the sentence against the now 68-year-old became final.
Meanwhile, the proportion of older prisoners in the Free State is growing, according to the ministry. On December 8, there were 124 prisoners aged 60 and over in the Saxon prison system. Three years earlier, there were 95.
The prison in Waldheim (Mittelsachsen district) is the only correctional facility in Saxony to have a special senior citizens' ward with 54 places. According to the Ministry of Justice, this is usually very well utilized. Prisoners over the age of 60 who already have age-related impairments are generally admitted. Accommodation in the senior citizens' ward is only provided at the prisoner's request.
In the senior citizens' ward, prisoners can leave their cells more often and cook, eat, play board games or do sports together with the other prisoners. This is intended to counteract social withdrawal and the resulting faster progression of the ageing process, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice. For individual prisoners on this ward, depending on their age and the length of their sentence, their possible death in prison could be an issue. Individual discussions are also offered for this purpose, the spokesperson emphasized.
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- Despite being convicted under GDR criminal law, two men remain imprisoned in the German state of Saxony, having been sentenced for murder and related crimes.
- The Zwickau Regional Court, located in the Gera region of Vogtland, sentenced an early retiree to life imprisonment in 2017 for the murder and sexual abuse of an 18-year-old girl in 1987.
- The Ministry of Justice in Saxony reported an increase in the number of older prisoners in the state, with 124 men aged 60 and above incarcerated as of December 8, 2020.
- The only correctional facility in Saxony with a special senior citizens' ward is located in Waldheim, offering accommodations for 54 elderly prisoners.
- The Ministry of Justice in Saxony supports initiatives in the senior citizens' ward, such as allowing prisoners to leave their cells more frequently and engage in social activities, to counteract social withdrawal and slow the aging process for prisoners over 60.
Source: www.stern.de
