Old prisons in Saxony: New costs and delays!

Old prisons in Saxony: New costs and delays!

Saxony and Thuringia are currently continuing to operate three old prisons, while construction of a new large prison in Zwickau-Marienthal is progressing. The affected facilities are the Zeithain correctional facility (JVA), the old Zwickau JVA and the Hohenleuben prison. Both federal states expect small additional costs for the continuation of these operations, as major investments in the existing prisons are no longer planned. Loud diesachsen.de The first two prisons mentioned are in a condition that does not require significant financial expenditure. The Hohenleuben prison, which was built in the 1980s, is also in good structural condition and is unlikely to require any major renovation work until the new prison is operational.

The three old prisons are scheduled to be closed once the new prison, which will accommodate up to 820 prisoners, opens in 2030. The first prisoners were originally scheduled to move in in 2019, but construction work has been delayed due to delays and cost increases. The current total cost of the new project is up to 500 million euros, which is double the original cost estimate. The annual maintenance costs for the Hohenleuben JVA alone are estimated at up to 250,000 euros. There are currently around 200 prisoners housed in the Hohenleuben JVA, while as of July 1st there were a total of 319 prisoners in the Zeithain JVA and 102 inmates in the old Zwickau JVA. At the same time, a total of 2,930 prisoners were incarcerated across Saxony, 2,711 of whom were men.

Challenges in building the new prison

The decision to build a joint prison for Saxony and Thuringia was made in 2014, but was made against the recommendations of numerous experts. Critics, such as the Saxon Green Party member of the state parliament Valentin Lippmann, warned of organizational difficulties in institutions with more than 400 places, since the planned prison should offer a total of 820 places. The project stalled from the start, and the original move-in date for the first prisoners was postponed several times, first to 2025.

In addition, Saxony terminated the contract with the general planner originally responsible in October 2023. This decision was in response to ongoing delays, cost increases and non-performance. The situation highlights the challenges that the two federal states face in the context of prison construction planning. Despite these difficulties, the operation of the existing prisons remains on the agenda for the time being.