New prison building: deputies plan visit to Zwickau

After new problems with the planned large prison of Thuringia and Saxony in Zwickau, members of the Thuringian state parliament want to get a picture on site. It is planned that members of the budget and finance committee as well as the penitentiary commission of the state parliament in Erfurt will inform themselves about the current state of construction in Zwickau before the end of this year. That said the left-wing MP and chairwoman of the penitentiary commission, Karola Stange, on Wednesday after a special meeting of the body in Erfurt.

After Saxony as builder had terminated the general planner for the new prison building, the opening of the joint prison of both Free States has been postponed indefinitely. In addition, costs are expected to rise further. Thuringia has a 42 percent share in the financing. The prison, which is to replace several old detention centers in both states, had been scheduled to go into operation as early as 2019; the latest talk was of early 2025. At the same time, the costs of originally 150 million euros have more than doubled in the meantime.

Stange referred to the fact that the Thuringian state parliament still wants to legally extend the transitional regulation for multiple occupancy of cells in Thuringia's prisons this Wednesday. According to this, up to three prisoners are to be able to share a detention room in Untermaßfeld and Hohenleuben even beyond January 1, 2025. In principle, every prisoner is entitled to a single cell. However, exceptions can be made in older prisons.