Substitute imprisonment: Those who cannot pay fines end up in jail. That can destroy life. And it's not fair

When the prison officers unlocked the cell door in the "Roter Ochse" prison in Halle a few days ago, any help came too late for the 42-year-old prisoner.

Substitute imprisonment: Those who cannot pay fines end up in jail. That can destroy life. And it's not fair

When the prison officers unlocked the cell door in the "Roter Ochse" prison in Halle a few days ago, any help came too late for the 42-year-old prisoner. He had hanged himself. He was in prison on a suspended sentence. That means he was fined, didn't pay and went to jail. He would have been released in November. We can only speculate about his motives at the moment. Was he sitting in for the first time? Did he hang himself because he couldn't take the shock? Did he have other reasons?

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