From BZ/dpa
Brandenburg’s Justice Minister Susanne Hoffmann (CDU) sees a need for further improvement in security within the state’s prisons.
In recent years, the training of the staff has been neglected and the equipment is partly outdated, said Hoffmann on Wednesday in the prison in Brandenburg / Havel. To make matters worse, the prisoners’ willingness to use violence is increasing.
Hoffmann was concerned about increasing violent excesses among the prisoners and also against the prison staff. Although occupancy numbers have recently fallen, the number of violent crimes within the prison walls in Brandenburg has increased, she emphasized. She is aware of the difficult situations that employees in the direct prison system sometimes have to deal with.
In a first step, after a security analysis last year, according to the minister, 200,000 euros were invested in the equipment of the employees – among other things, protective suits with protectors, cutting weapons and high-security restraints were purchased. The employees should be better protected during operations. Previously, the employees had to carry the sorted-out equipment of the state police for sensitive operations.
Hoffmann blames the consumption of new drugs, among other things, for the increase in violent crimes committed by inmates. Although this was neither statistically nor scientifically proven, colleagues from other federal states also suspected a connection here, she said. With the increased amount of psychoactive substances in the detention centers, the number of mental disorders among the prisoners has also increased.
Fight against illegal substances
Against this background, Hoffmann described the detection of illegal substances in prisons as a “particular challenge”. The prisoners are sometimes creative when it comes to hiding narcotics, said an employee of the JVA in Brandenburg. The substances are sometimes difficult to find. With two newly acquired sniffer dogs, the Ministry of Justice also wants to take another step in the fight against drugs, explained Minister Hoffmann.
In addition, a drug detection device is already being tested. Since March, narcotics have been discovered six times in the prison in Cottbus. For example, the device is able to detect when stationery has been soaked in dissolved drugs, explained an employee at the Brandenburg prison.
Hoffmann plans to expand the security concept. Among other things, she hears from other federal states that many drugs are smuggled into prisons there using drones. Here she wants to improve the security concept.
According to the Ministry of Justice, Brandenburg has four prisons. Around 600 officers work in the general prison service.