Thanks to a green justice minister, there has also been a so-called Christmas amnesty in Saxony since 2020. Again this year, offenders will be released prematurely – the first ones a month before the festival.
Dresden (dpa/sn) – For the third time, prison doors for offenders who have been sentenced to less than two years in prison or a fine have opened before their actual end of imprisonment around the public holidays in Saxony. On November 15, 48 adults were released early, according to the Justice Department. The legal basis is a ministerial order on the occasion of Christmas.
If the conditions are right, the gates can open earlier than expected for other detainees by Christmas Eve if their detention ends regularly by January 5, 2022, as a ministry spokeswoman says. The penalties imposed are a maximum of 50 days or, in the case of substitute imprisonment – if those sentenced to fines cannot pay – 50 daily rates.
The conditions for an early prisoner are strict, because of particularly serious criminal offenses and those sentenced to more than two years in prison are generally exempt, as are prisoners who are conspicuous in prison. In addition, medical care, accommodation and livelihood must be secure, those affected must agree and prisoners in alternative custody must have served the majority of their sentences.
According to the ministry, the response is “quite positive”. It is not only a sign of charity and compassion, but also an opportunity to use the festival to reintegrate into the family and social environment. In addition, if you are released before the holidays, important administrative procedures, visits to the doctor or therapy and job interviews can still be completed.
Until 2019, the Free State was the only federal state apart from Bavaria without a “Christmas amnesty”. Only prisoners whose detention officially ended between December 22nd and January 2nd came home early for the holidays. With the change from the CDU to the Greens at the top of the Ministry of Justice, Saxony also adapted – at the premiere 59 people were already free in Advent, a year later 49.
