Feldkirch prison is overcrowded and short-staffed

Feldkirch prison is holding more people than its capacity and has nearly one in five prison-service posts vacant, ORF reports. A new law intended to ease overcrowding in Austria’s prisons took effect on November 1, but the Justice Ministry could not say how much it would reduce the pressure in Feldkirch.

At the end of October, the prison held 133 people, including 123 men and 10 women, despite having capacity for 121. That put occupancy at 110 percent.

The prison has 60 authorised posts in its prison service, but just under 49 were filled as of October 1, leaving 18.5 percent vacant. Since November 1, staff from other offices have been assigned to help. The Justice Ministry said two staff members would be posted to Feldkirch until January 31, 2027.

Staffing is also incomplete in specialist services such as psychology, social work and social pedagogy: 13 of 15.05 authorised posts are filled. A further 2.5 positions in care services have been filled through the Justice Care Agency.

The law allows foreign prisoners subject to a valid entry or residence ban to be sent to their country of origin after serving half their sentence, even without their consent. It excludes people convicted of serious violent or sexual offences, or terrorist crimes, as well as EEA citizens and privileged third-country nationals, including close relatives of EU, EEA or Swiss citizens.

The revised law also allows the foreign police to take people directly from prison for removal, without an interim period in immigration detention. A separate measure enables foreign nationals to serve their sentences in their home countries. Justice Minister Anna Sporrer said those affected would mainly come from the Western Balkans.

Nationwide, Sporrer expects the share of filled prison-service posts to rise from 94 to 97 percent next year, helped by three additional training courses. Another course is planned in western Austria.