In Halle, a man who was only in prison because he had not paid a fine hung himself in the cell. Time to think about the meaning of “alternative custodial sentences”.
When the prison officers unlocked the cell door in the “Roter Ochse” prison in Halle a few days ago, any help came too late for the 42-year-old prisoner. He had hanged himself. He was in prison because he was supposed to be serving a suspended sentence. That means he was fined, didn’t pay and went to jail. He would have been released in November. One can only speculate about his motives. Was he sitting in for the first time? Did he hang himself because he couldn’t take the shock? Did he have other reasons?