Correctional institutions XX 2.5.4  If it is not possible to offer a therapy in a language that the detainee can understand, they must – without a waiting period – be able to join a German course. Women in prison 2.5.4.1 Inmates housed in shared accommodation and lock-up times Regrettably, the information gathered in the period under review has shown once again that the minimum standards for women in prison imposed by the Federal Ministry of Constitutional Affairs, Reforms, Deregulation and Justice in February 2016 are not fully implemented in all correctional institutions. For example, this was evident in Wiener Neustadt correctional institution which the NPM visited in September 2018. The women’s section of the court prison consists of twelve inmate cells with 22 places. Of these, seven cells with 14 places are operated as detention in shared accommodation and five cells with eight places as regular detention. At the time of the visit, 14 women were in the women’s section. Only seven beds were occupied even though the shared accommodation area has 14 places available. The remaining women were living in closed detention. Wiener Neustadt correctional institution The NPM had the impression that women in Wiener Neustadt correctional institution are kept in (closed) detention as a matter of principle and only benefit from shared accommodation in exceptions. This approach conflicts with the minimum standards for women in prison, according to which both female pre-trial and convicted detainees shall be detained in shared accommodation in general. It shall thus be guaranteed that women’s sections are usually operated as shared accommodation and women shall only be kept in regular detention in justified exceptions. Non-compliance with standards In Vienna-Josefstadt correctional institution, at least one area has been set up for detention in shared accommodation in all three departments of the women’s section since February 2018 (see NPM Report 2018, p. 127 et seq.). A followup visit to the women’s section of Vienna-Josefstadt correctional institution in December 2018 showed that in the department for female pre-trial detainees a maximum of 17% and in the department for convicted women a maximum of 40% of the detainees could be housed in shared accommodation. The number of detention places in shared accommodation can thus be increased. Vienna-Josefstadt correctional institution Regarding the detention places that are not part of the shared accommodation, the Federal Ministry of Constitutional Affairs, Reforms, Deregulation and Justice as well as Vienna-Josefstadt correctional institution have always stated that the cells are open daily from 7.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. As already reported in the past, this is not consistent with the observations of the NPM. On the contrary, the regular detention cells are usually closed all day (i.e. 23 hours per Lock-up times too long 124