Community Work - Unpaid fine: Sweat instead of sitting in prison
For someone who cannot pay a Fine, they can work off the amount, seek advice, and then pay in installments to avoid prison. In Baden-Württemberg, a total of 145,645 prison days were avoided for delinquent debtors last year, as Justice Minister Marion Gentges (CDU) announced in Stuttgart. "We need the substitute freedom for the case where a fine is not paid." Because if the non-payment of a fine goes unpunished, then the fine loses its sanctioning character. "However, it is clear that the affected parties were not sentenced to a prison term - the substitute imprisonment must be the last resort."
Therefore, projects have been in place for several years to help debtors avoid prison. "This is a win for all parties: The condemned do not find themselves in the situation of a burdensome prison sentence, and the very high costs for a prison sentence are avoided." With the project "Sweat instead of Sit," approximately 20 million Euros were saved and nearly 120,000 prison days were avoided in 2023. "These are numbers that speak for themselves," said the CDU politician.
A day in prison costs approximately 180 Euros
So-called substitute imprisonment sentences are ordered by the prosecutor's office when a fine is not paid and cannot be collected. Since February, two installment sentences correspond to one day of substitute imprisonment. A day in prison costs the taxpayer around 180 Euros.
However, since November 2020, the land has offered more help to people threatened with substitute imprisonment. A social worker contacts the defendant. The goal is to sensitize the debtor in direct contact, through up to two house visits, for a pending substitute imprisonment sentence, to inform them about the possibilities of installment payments and repayment through charitable work, and thus to prevent the serving of a sentence. Thus, 26,559 prison days were saved last year.
Justice Ministry
Marion Gentges, the Justice Minister from CDU in Baden-Württemberg, announced that over 145,000 prison days were avoided due to unpaid fines in Stuttgart. The project "Sweat instead of Sit" helped debtors avoid prison, saving around 20 million Euros and avoiding nearly 120,000 prison days in 2023. Gentges highlighted that substitute imprisonment should be a last resort and can cost the taxpayer approximately 180 Euros per day. Since November 2020, the Justice Ministry has been offering more help to debtors, reducing 26,559 prison days through direct contact and informing them about installment payments and charitable work options.
