Violence in prisons is almost part of everyday life: Among the prisoners, but prison officers are often victims too.
Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – prison officers in Baden-Württemberg are repeatedly attacked by prisoners. In addition to everyday insults and threats, there are also massive physical attacks: sometimes a fist or the cell door lands in an officer’s face. A case will be heard before the regional court in Tübingen starting Monday, which had far greater consequences for the officials in the Rottenburg prison: the 31-year-old accused poured hot oil over the officials in his office. The man suffered burns covering a total of eight percent of his body surface. The charge is serious and dangerous bodily harm. The officer has been off duty since the September 2021 incident.
According to the head of the Federation of Prison Servants, Alexander Schmid, the officer concerned was alone on the floor where the prisoners’ quarters are. On average, there are around 50 prisoners to whom an officer is exposed on one floor. “The lone fighters of the officers in prison have to end. They feel left alone,” says Schmid, who has worked in prisons in Baden-Württemberg since 1991. “Like the police on a patrol, we need two employees on one floor,” said Schmid. The risk potential in the prisons in the country has been much greater for several years. “Prisoners are becoming more and more problematic in terms of mental health issues.”
According to a study by the interministerial working group on a modern medical concept for prisons, according to Schmid, between 2005 and 2015 there were around 2,500 inmates with such problems. “The numbers have exploded since 2015. In 2019, for example, there were an annual average of 6,500 prisoners with mental health problems,” said Schmid. To put this into perspective: around 15,000 people are housed at least temporarily in the Baden-Württemberg prison system over the course of a year.
The Department of Justice records attacks of a “serious nature,” meaning those that result in officials being incapacitated or that exceed a certain threshold as a result of the crime or other circumstances. According to the authority, there were 29 attacks on staff nationwide in 2021, the year of the incident in Rottenburg prison. A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Justice said there were a large number of measures, including those of a structural and technical nature, in the prisons to protect the prison officers. “In the past few years, the establishments have been equipped with personal emergency signal systems.” As a result, modern alarm options were created. In a conflict situation, a prison officer can press a button to alert all colleagues, who are informed directly about the specific location.
Justice Minister Marion Gentges (CDU) said: “Despite all the safety precautions, the employees are always exposed to the risk of being attacked and injured at work. These are bad cases, and every attack on a prison officer is one too many.” It is therefore important to take all available measures to achieve the best possible protection for employees. “This includes modern equipment and alarm systems, targeted security training and de-escalating measures in everyday prison life.”
Alexander Schmid said the ministry had done a lot through technical improvements. “The Ministry has given everything that isn’t about staff. We want to feel safe in our workplace.” According to Gentges, staffing is the key safety factor. “Our focus is on further strengthening the staff of the uniformed prison service, which is particularly frequently exposed to attacks – to protect the employees, fellow prisoners and the general public.”
