Magdeburg (dpa/sa) - Saxony-Anhalt's judiciary wants to increasingly prevent suicides in prisons. A state working group on suicide prevention in prisons is currently being set up, said a spokesman for the Ministry of Justice at the request of the German Press Agency. "The health of the prisoners is our top priority." When it comes to prevention, you always try to be up to date with scientific knowledge, the spokesman emphasized.
In the past two months there had been two suicides in prisons in Halle. However, the numbers in Saxony-Anhalt are not exceptionally high over a long period of time, said the spokesman for the Ministry of Justice. "In 2022 there were two suicides in prisons in Saxony-Anhalt." The year before, according to the ministry, there were five. There was not a single such incident in 2020.
Prevention often involves a great deal of sensitivity and many years of experience in the judiciary, according to Mario Pinkert, Chairman of the Association of Prison Servants in Saxony-Anhalt. It is also important for prison staff to listen.
