"When the Ministry of Justice announced in January 2025 that the new location in Simmering would finally go into operation after years of waiting, we thought: better late than never. But as it turns out, Münnichplatz is far from operational." There are currently 21 young people in prison there. School attendance is compulsory for some of them, but the school is still in Josefstadt prison. The young people therefore have to be transported back and forth every day. Only one of three wards can currently be occupied, as the wet rooms first have to be renovated. Supplies are still purchased via Josefstadt prison. Josefstadt also still has to deal with administrative offence proceedings. There is a lack of staff, some of the telephones do not work and the possibility of visits is limited. It is also still unclear where medical care will be provided in future.
"These are just a few examples of what is going wrong. But I would like to emphasise: This is not a criticism of the people who work there. They are doing the best they can under these difficult conditions. Rather, I am criticising the Ministry of Justice's approach: all the renovation work should be completed first and staff should be on duty before the first juvenile is relocated. And not the other way round," says Ombudsperson Gaby Schwarz.
"As the Austrian Ombudsman Board, we have been pointing out the need for a new juvenile detention center since 2022. Unfortunately, Justice Minister Alma Zadic sat on her hands for too long. Shortly before she left office, she took this hasty action. I urgently appeal to Justice Minister Anna Sporrer to prioritise improvements in the juvenile penal system. The Austrian Ombudsman Board is always available to provide support with its experience reports from the consultation days and with our many years of expertise in the prison system," said Gaby Schwarz.
