incarcerated person does not wish to accept financial losses due to
being unemployed – since the compensation paid to unemployed
inmates is much lower than the wages they could earn. In the view of
the NPM, it is unacceptable that the exercise of his rights should place
an inmate in a worse financial position.
given
Task force trainings may not cause longer lock-up times.
Time spent outdoors makes inmates healthier. They should be permitted to have at least
one hour of outdoor time per day (depending on the weather).
Incarcerated persons should not have to choose between work and the rights to which they
are entitled, such as outdoor exercise.
The exercise of a right should not cause any inmate to suffer a financial loss.
At the Graz-Karlau correctional institution, the job opportunities can be
said to be very good since 90% of the prisoners and persons being
held there are employed. Thus, for example, there are 40 apprentices
being trained in nine different occupational areas. However, this
situation is impaired by the acute shortage of specialised personnel,
which results in workshops being closed for hours or days.
Acute shortage of
specialised personnel
This situation can only be improved by hiring appropriately skilled
personnel (craftsmen). The head of the correctional institution has
already solicited such personnel. Paradoxically, the employee
representatives have been vehemently opposed to this and thus have
prevented any improvement of the situation. The employee
representatives insist that staff only be hired from among the prison
guards.
Employee
representatives reject
the hiring of skilled
external personnel
In response, the commission pointed out that any closing of the
workshops (even for only a few hours) impairs the ergo therapy
programme and is not conducive to a reasonable structuring of the
day. In addition, the workshop’s skilled personnel are particularly
important confidants for inmates and other persons being held. The
important “relationship effect” suffers from any reduction of an existing
employment opportunity.
Structured daily routine
The importance of maintaining and expanding work and employment
opportunities is demonstrated by the fact that inmates, who are not
housed in shared accommodations, are confined at 3 p.m. There is
still the opportunity to visit and utilise recreational facilities, such as
sports facilities, handicrafts, music and art groups, etc., until 5 p.m.
However, this does not change the lock-up times.
Goal of less
psychological stress
during lock-up times
The Federal Ministry of Justice agreed with the NPM that expansion of
work and employment opportunities in correctional institutions is very
important.
Consultations were conducted with the representatives of the central
committee for employees of the executive services, but the parties
failed to reach a mutual agreement. Therefore, in accordance with
85
Pilot project ordered
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