In prisons, an outbreak is always to be expected, but in the Stadelheim correctional facility (JVA) they are particularly preparing to prevent one: that of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. “Of course we have emergency plans,” says Stadelheim’s director Michael Stumpf, “and we have created fall-back levels for certain areas.” If, for example, the kitchen team had to be completely quarantined, he has already organized representatives for the representatives, should they still be canceled afterwards: “As a precaution, we have been looking for amateur cooks.”
The Chief Government Director Stumpf is responsible for the well-being of more than 1,600 people – around 900 male and 120 female prisoners and around 650 employees. In contrast to the permanent inmates, they are never all there at the same time. Currently around 350 work in three shifts every day. He has a relatively young team, says Stumpf, “every now and then some people drop out as contact persons because of their children”.
As far as the inmates are concerned, they have so far gotten lightly through the pandemic in Stadelheim, reports Stumpf: In the one and three quarters of years in which the corona waves are now sweeping through the country, only two inmates had to be treated in the clinic – one for three , the other for thirteen days.
Many prisoners are in poor physical condition, but most of them are young
Stumpf is pleased that he has had so few cases “because a relatively large number of prisoners are in poor physical condition,” as he says. On the other hand, he points out, his clientele also consists mainly of younger people without major previous illnesses. Many cases were only discovered during routine tests, so they were obviously largely symptom-free.
In principle, in all Bavarian prisons, the newcomers first have to be in a so-called access quarantine for 14 days; During this time they are isolated and are only allowed to leave their cell for one hour a day. Then a PCR test is done, and only if it turns out negative are you allowed to go to normal execution. “That has worked well so far,” says Stumpf. However, it does not rule out the possibility of the coronavirus entering the detention center and breaking out again there.
The biggest challenge in Stadelheim is fluctuation, also because of the large number of prisoners on remand, explains Stumpf. Between November 1 and December 15, his employees registered 473 newcomers, including 54 women, “mainly from milieus that do not have a high vaccination rate,” as the head of the institution says. Only 119 new inmates were fully vaccinated. “We try very hard to convince all newcomers to be vaccinated,” says Stumpf: “Every prisoner willing to be vaccinated gets an appointment within one or two days.” Since the prison doctors have also been allowed to give the injection, they have been doing this almost every working day; Until just before Christmas, around 600 prisoners could be vaccinated in this way.
Munich is a hub of the Bavarian prisoner transport
Since the beginning of December, the corona cases have been increasing outside the quarantine station, Stumpf has found. In the meantime, four of the total of 26 stations were isolated, and two have now been freely tested again. What the cases can be traced back to is not yet certain. But Munich is a hub of the Bavarian prisoner transport; in addition, up to 40 detainees have to be brought to appointments, negotiations or visits to the authorities every day. Of course, the staff in the institution also brings a certain risk of infection.
In the Straubing prison, the number of corona cases almost doubled within a week before Christmas, from 55 to 98. Compared to Straubing, Stadelheim certainly has structural advantages that serve to contain an epidemic, explains prison director Stumpf. While all cell corridors in Straubing converge in a star shape and flow into a central point, the departments in Stadelheim are strictly sealed off. Each station is occupied by a maximum of 50 people, sometimes only 20. Other stations are located one floor higher or lower or in a completely different part of the building. It is comparatively easy to isolate a station.
It is a difficult situation for the prisoners when they only have to spend another 14 days in their cell, Stumpf knows; normally the cells are open at least during the day so that the prisoners can maintain contact. But the prisoners are “really very disciplined” in this regard, praises the prison director: “They understand that we don’t want to annoy them. They understand the need for the measures.”