Dresden (dpa / sn) – The AfD in the state parliament sees Saxon prisons poorly prepared for a comprehensive power failure. “In the event of a large-scale blackout, two thirds of all Saxon prisoners would have to be redistributed or released after just three days. Since there is hardly any space in the remaining prisons, the question arises as to what will happen to the around 1,900 convicted criminals,” explained Volker Dringenberg, a judicial officer Spokesman for the AfD parliamentary group. It is about the question of where serious criminals or people in preventive custody are to be accommodated. Minister of Justice Katja Meier (Greens) must find an answer to this.
“In the event of a longer power outage, internal security is generally at risk. In that case, prisoners who have not been released may exacerbate the situation,” emphasized the AfD politician. He had made a small question on the subject in Parliament. In its reply, the ministry announced that the emergency power supply would be maintained for a maximum of 80 hours in seven out of ten prisons. “The accommodation of around 1,894 of the 2,804 prisoners would then remain unclear. The lights go out in Regis-Breitingen prison after 50 hours, in Leipzig with the prison hospital after 60 hours,” stressed Dringenberg.
In its reply, referring to the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK), the Ministry of Justice noted that a large-scale power failure in Germany is extremely unlikely. It also said: “The electrical energy supply system is designed with multiple redundancies and has numerous safety mechanisms to stabilize the power grid in the event of disruptions.” The BBK also considers the probability that there will be regional and temporary forced shutdowns to be low in order to continue to ensure the overall supply. According to the ministry, all prisons in Saxony have an emergency plan.
