Christmas is also a special time behind bars. The correctional facilities in MV strive for entertainment and contemplation for the prisoners.
Schwerin (dpa/mv) - Christmas is also celebrated in the country's prisons. There are services, good food and small gifts, as the Ministry of Justice announced on Sunday. The prisons are decorated, in front of the JVA Stralsund there is a large candle arch and in front of the JVA Waldeck there is a reindeer sleigh with Santa Claus built by prisoners.
According to the information, gifts donated by people in the area are distributed in the Waldeck JVA. "This action is a sign for the detainees that, despite their crimes, they are part of society and will not be forgotten at Christmas," said Justice Minister Jacqueline Bernhardt (left).
She thanked the prison officials who crowned their important work with the design of the holidays behind bars. "The Christmas season in particular is a time for reflection and thinking about family, the future and the past," emphasized Bernhardt. "It helps many prisoners to realize that after release from prison, life without new crimes is worthwhile."
Thanks to the Christmas amnesty, 24 of the approximately 1,000 prisoners in the north-east have already started living in freedom ahead of schedule. They were released at the end of November in order to be able to deal with the authorities in peace before the holidays. A prerequisite for the early release was impeccable behavior. In addition, the regular discharge had to have been due by January 6th. More than 30 prisoners had submitted applications.
For those who stayed behind, Christmas trees were set up in all the institutions and the detention areas were decorated, it was said. Local music groups are supposed to create a festive atmosphere, such as the Kessin wind group in the Waldeck prison or the "Blechwerk" group in Bützow. Campfires are made and grilled in the JVA Neustrelitz. There, a voluntary prison assistant also read children's books to prisoners who are parents and had them recorded. The recordings would be sent to their families.
During the Christmas season there will be more video telephony options. Darts, skat and table tennis tournaments are also offered in all institutions. The menu for Christmas is classic: on Christmas Eve there is potato salad and Viennese sausages. On the holidays, the menus range from duck with red cabbage and potato dumplings to roast pork and beef, leg of rabbit and venison goulash.
