Prisons at the limit: How rehabilitation succeeds!

Prisons at the limit: How rehabilitation succeeds!

The prisons in Austria are facing a massive challenge: with 8,835 inmates they are overcrowded, while the capacity is only designed for 8,278 people. This reports noe.ORF.at. The rush for detention places has a significant impact on the work of the staff, who are already under pressure with an occupancy rate of 95.5 percent. In particular, the Stein prison in Lower Austria, the largest prison in the country with 830 inmates, is struggling with an overcrowding of 102 percent. Major General Erich Huber-Günsthofer, who has only taken over management since November, commented on the joint efforts to optimize processes.

The challenges of the penal system

Huber-Günsthofer sees it as one of his main tasks to promote the resocialization of the inmates and at the same time support the overworked workforce. In this context, he emphasizes the need for training measures, which include German courses for foreign inmates. These measures are intended to help inmates better return to society. According to Huber-Günsthofer, there are currently around 200 inmates taking part in various training programs.

However, the successes in resocialization are difficult to quantify. Whether these efforts lead to an actual improvement also depends on the individual situation of the inmates. In this context, an empirical study by Karl-Dieter Opp warns that the resocialization of inmates depends heavily on the internal conditions. As explained in his study from 1976, the design of the penal system plays a crucial role in the success of rehabilitation measures, which seems all the more relevant to the current situation. More information about the effects of the prison system on rehabilitation can be found in the study by De Gruyter be read.