Penal system - State Justice Minister wants to increase protection in prisons
Over-soaked letter paper brings drugs inconspicuously into Brandenburg's prisons. In detention centers, employees must reckon with increasing aggression and violence. The problem: Dangerous new psychoactive substances - known as synthetically produced "designer drugs" - can be smuggled in more easily. The Brandenburg Justice Minister Susanne Hoffmann (CDU) therefore intends to strengthen the protection of personnel and with new technology, as she told the German Press Agency in Potsdam.
Hoffmann: Prisoners are prone to violence
The experiences in the detention centers have shown that prisoners are prone to violence and exhibit greater aggression potential. "We attribute this to the rising consumption of new psychoactive substances," said Hoffmann. "We register a constant increase in violent incidents in the detention centers."
The ministry's figures show an increase within ten years: 45 violent incidents were recorded in 2012, 94 in 2022. In the previous year, there had been a decrease with 89 cases.
In this year, a prisoner in the Justice Detention Center Cottbus-Dissenchen, who was sentenced for attempted extortion, dangerous bodily harm, and assault on prison guards, injured two employees in April.
Plans for more batons
As a reaction to the increasing violence incidents, according to Hoffmann, the equipment of the Justice Detention Service employees has been significantly improved for a total of over 200,000 Euro. The state procured new body armor, helmets, cut-resistant vests and gloves, as well as secure hand and foot restraints.
The employees of intervention teams, who are trained for conflict situations, were also equipped with batons - i.e., impact weapons - again in 2021. They no longer have to wait for the police in acute incidents in the institutions but can intervene themselves, said Hoffmann. "We will continue to invest in the safety of our employees and may possibly not only equip intervention teams with batons."
According to the ministry, there are 113 intervention team members in the detention centers with 1,481 inmate places. The ministry did not want to say how many batons have been procured for equipment so far, referring to security interests. Brandenburg has four detention centers.
The 64-year-old Justice Minister Hoffmann was appointed General Prosecutor before she took over the government office in November 2019. Her security concept, for example, with the reintroduction of batons for staff, caused objections from the green coalition partner and the Left in 2021. In 2017, firearms were abolished in the detention system, and in 2018, batons were also abolished.
Second drug detector to come
Hoffmann intends to extend the use of mobile drug scanners in postal shipments in detention centers in the future. A special detection device can detect new psychoactive substances - for example, drug-soaked letter paper. "We have successfully tested this device and will acquire another one soon," said the minister. However, the smuggling of drugs can never be completely prevented. The number of known cases rose from 26 in 2011 to 90 in the previous year.
Already very small amounts of these new psychoactive substances have a very high potency. These small amounts can easily be smuggled into institutions, as Hoffmann stated. The risks of these new psychoactive substances for human health, particularly their long-term effects on the psyche, are still not negligible. This is especially true for frequent co-consumption, as well as the continual development of these substances.
- The incident in April involved a prisoner from the Justice Detention Center Cottbus-Dissenchen, who had a history of extortion, dangerous bodily harm, and assault on prison guards.
- The increase in violent incidents in detention centers over the past decade is partially attributed to the rising consumption of new psychoactive substances, according to Justice Minister Susanne Hoffmann.
- In response to the increasing violence incidents, the Brandenburg Justice Ministry has invested over 200,000 Euro in improving the equipment of detention center employees, including new body armor, helmets, and batons.
- Hoffmann's security concept, which includes reintroducing batons for staff, faced objections from the green coalition partner and the Left in 2021.
- The German Press Agency interviewed Hoffmann in Potsdam, where she discussed the plans to extend the use of mobile drug scanners in postal shipments in detention centers to combat drug smuggling.
- The Brandenburg Justice Ministry, under the leadership of Hoffmann, aims to acquire another special detection device to detect drug-soaked letter paper and prevent the smuggling of new psychoactive substances into detention centers.
