The state association of Bavarian prison officials complains about an increasing number of attacks on prison guards. “In recent years we have noticed an increase in assaults against our employees,” said association chairman Ralf Simon of the German Press Agency. “This is also due to the increasingly difficult prisoners. There are more and more psychological problems and addictions.”
After four prisoners attacked a prison officer in the Straubing prison, the Regensburg public prosecutor’s office is currently investigating dangerous bodily harm, threats and prisoner mutiny. “The investigation is currently ongoing,” said a spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office. The attacked prison employee was not seriously injured. The public prosecutor’s office did not want to provide any further information, citing an ongoing investigation.
The Bavarian Ministry of Justice counted 54 assaults by prisoners against employees in the prisons in the Free State last year – more than since 2016. At that time, the number of 65 cases was unusually high. In 2013, for example, only 23 cases were reported. According to the ministry, these assaults include intentional bodily harm, hostage-taking and deprivation of liberty.
Security measures have been strengthened
Simon also attributes the increasing number to corona-related deficiencies in the training of prison officers: “Our employees are trained for conflict situations during their training, but also during further training courses. Unfortunately, further training courses had to be largely dispensed with during the corona pandemic.” According to the association, the main reason for him is a blatant lack of staff. “Our biggest weakness is the staffing,” said Simon. “As a professional association, we have been fighting for more staff for years. We need this in order to be able to fulfill our ever-increasing tasks – but also to achieve more security for our employees through presence.”
However, the ministry emphasizes that the security precautions in Bavarian prisons have been strengthened in recent years – for example through the expansion of video surveillance and the installation of so-called personal emergency signal systems. In addition, the officials are trained “in unarmed self-defense”.
Simon stressed that the number of abuses counted by the ministry does not represent the whole situation. “Currently, only actual completed physical injuries are statistically recorded. This does not reflect the actual violence in the prisons,” he said. “There is an urgent need to record threats of violence, insults, threats, etc., for example.”