Waldheim (dpa/sn) - After a prisoner had not returned to Waldheim prison (Middle Saxony district) from a day off, there was no evidence of misconduct on the part of the staff. There is also no reason to suspect this, said a spokeswoman for the Saxon Ministry of Justice on Monday on request.
The 31-year-old did not return to the correctional facility (JVA) on Friday after being allowed to leave unaccompanied for two hours. According to a witness, the drunken man was caught near a supermarket in Chemnitz the following day and brought back to the prison.
The 31-year-old was sentenced to nine years in prison for two counts of attempted murder in 2015. According to consistent media reports, it is the so-called joker stabber. He had housed two teenagers in his apartment, then masqueraded as the character "Joker" from the "Batman" movie and stabbed them. The victims were seriously injured but managed to escape. According to the ministry, the end of the sentence for the 31-year-old is scheduled for November 21, 2024.
In January 2020, the prisoner was transferred from the forensic facility to the JVA Waldheim. He was in the social therapy department and before the first unaccompanied exit on Friday he had completed five accompanied exits without complaint.
According to the Ministry of Justice, 13 prisoners in Saxony had not returned after an exit since 2019. Almost 23,000 exits were granted during this time. Non-return and escape from prison are not punishable for prisoners. As a consequence, however, security measures can be imposed or the suitability for loosening can be revoked. Disciplinary consequences for the prisoners also come into consideration.
JVA Waldheim is the oldest prison in Germany. The area has been used continuously as a prison since 1716. One of the best-known former inmates is the adventure writer Karl May (1842-1912). The prison currently has a capacity of just over 400 prisoners.
