Albert Krebs (social scientist)

Albert Krebs (born October 7, 1897 in Frankfurt am Main , † December 2, 1992 in Oberursel (Taunus) ) was a German ministerial advisor , social pedagogue and prison reformer. From 1945 to 1965, as head of the prison department of the Hessian Ministry of Justice, he played a key role in the reconstruction of the penal system in Hesse after the Second World War and shaped the penal system in the Federal Republic of Germany in its current form.

Live and act

Albert Krebs, son of a Protestant pastor, grew up in Hausen (Frankfurt am Main). At a young age he joined the youth movement "Wandervogel". He was a soldier in the First World War. It was there that his friendship with Adolf Reichwein began , who was executed as a resister in 1944. After the war he studied history, German and welfare and received his doctorate in 1921. phil.

In 1923 he began his work in the Thuringian penal system, in 1928 he became director of the state penal institution Untermaßfeld. During his time as the head of the institution, he was committed to reforming the penal system.

In 1933 Albert Krebs was dismissed from the Thuringian civil service by the National Socialists. He found a job as a librarian at the Deutsche Gold- und Silberscheideanstalt, DEGUSSA, in Frankfurt am Main, where he worked until the collapse of the Third Reich in 1945.

In 1945 Albert Krebs was appointed head of the penal system in the Hessian Ministry of Justice in Wiesbaden. There he was initially responsible for rebuilding the Hessian penal system. During his 20-year period of activity, some significant reforms took place, e. B.

• the establishment of the first house for young prisoners in 1953 in Groß-Gerau,
• the introduction of the open penal system with the construction of the "Gustav Radbruch House", completed in 1959, as an open penal institution for men,
• the establishment of a training seminar named after HB Wagnitz for prison staff of the state of Hesse, initially in Rockenberg, then later as the central training and further education facility of the state of Hesse in Wiesbaden, the HB-Wagnitz seminar.

At the same time Albert Krebs u. a. Member or expert of the penal enforcement committee of the federal states (from 1951 as representative for the state of Hesse) and of the penal commission of the German Bundestag for the preparation of the penal enforcement law passed in 1977.

His democratic and humanitarian outlook, his reform ideas and his historical interest were also reflected in his scientific work. In 1950 he was co-founder of the "Zeitschrift für Strafvollzug" (today "Forum Strafvollzug"), of which he was editor from 1952 to 1970 and in which he published articles. In 1950 Albert Krebs received a teaching position for prison studies and criminology at the University of Marburg. There he was named honorary professor by the Faculty of Law and Political Science in 1956. In 1987 the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Bergische Universität Wuppertal awarded him an honorary doctorate in social sciences. Study trips abroad and participation in international congresses served the scientific exchange beyond national borders.

Honors

• 1965: Large Federal Cross of Merit
• 1986: Wilhelm Leuschner Medal
• 1987: Awarded an honorary doctorate in social sciences from the Bergische Universität Wuppertal
• 1989: Honorary membership in the federal association of prison directors

Albert Krebs Library

In the course of his professional life, Albert Krebs has built up a collection of German and international literature on the subject of the penal system. Enriched by publications from other sources that are interesting from a historical perspective, e.g. B. from the estate of the penitentiary scientist Heinz Szkibik , who was friendly with him , this collection is set up as the Albert Krebs library in the HB Wagnitz seminar in Wiesbaden. The collection is maintained by the Association for Prison Research and Aid for Criminal Justice and offered for research via an online catalog on the Internet.

Fonts (selection)

• The educational officer in the prison . Frankfurt a. M. 1928
• Self-administration of prisoners in the penal institution. In: Monthly for criminal psychology and criminal law reform (19/1928), pp. 152–164.
• State penal institution in Untermassfeld. Nature, organization and limits of execution. In: Lothar Frede (ed.). Prisons in Thuringia. Reports on the reform of the prison system. Weimar 1930, pp. 69-82.
• The first 25 years of the Zeitschrift für Strafvollzug: On the history of the prison system in Germany since 1945 . Journal for Prison and Criminal Assistance 1977, pp. 1–7.
• John Howard's influence on the prison system in Europe - especially Germany . Journal of Prison and Criminal Assistance 1978, pp. 41–51.
• Imprisonment: Development of Practice and Theory since the Enlightenment . Berlin 1978.
• With Wilfried Huber (ed.). Adolf Reichwein 1898 - 1944: memories, research, impulses . Paderborn [u. a.] 1981.
• Some remarks on Heinrich Balthasar Wagnitz's literary work on imprisonment and prison systems . Journal of Prison and Criminal Assistance, 41: 1992, pp. 9–12.
• Prison execution on the eve of the Third Reich . Journal of Prison and Criminal Assistance, 42: 1993, pp. 11-16.

literature

• Busch, Max & Edel, Gottfried (Hrsg.): Education for freedom through deprivation of liberty: international problems of the prison system for young people; [as a festive gift dedicated to Albert Krebs on the occasion of the completion of his 70th birthday on October 7, 1967] . Neuwied [u. a.], 1969
• Busch, Max; Edel, Gottfried & Müller-Dietz, Heinz (Hrsg.): Prison and society: memorial for Albert Krebs . Pfaffenweiler 1994. ISBN 3-89085-884-8
• Edel, Susanne: Albert Krebs (1897 - 1992) - pioneer of the reformed penal system in Germany in the 20th century . Forum for Prison, 68: 2019, pp. 215-217.
• Herrmann, Elisabeth & Sohn, Werner: A library on the historical development of the penal system: for processing the estate of Albert Krebs . Journal for Penal Services and Criminal Assistance, 48: 1999, pp. 33–37.
• Klemusch, Malte: Criminal justice and social education in the 20th century: Symposium on the 90th birthday of Professor Dr. Albert Krebs . Journal of Prison and Criminal Assistance, 37: 1988, pp. 101-104.
• Müller-Dietz, Heinz: Albert Krebs: Approaches to life and work . Journal for Penal Execution and Assistance to Delinquents, 42: 1993, pp. 69–76.
• Müller-Dietz, Heinz: prison and society . Journal of Prison and Criminal Assistance, 44: 1995, pp. 38–40.
• Naumann, Kai: Outdoor walkers in the station district. After 1945 Albert Krebs formed a new type of penal system in Hessen . Journal of Prison and Criminal Assistance, 55: 2006, pp. 164–166.
• Rotthaus, Karl Peter: Books as milestones on the way of the penal reform . Journal of Prison and Criminal Assistance, 47: 1998, pp. 97–101.
• Sagaster, Ursula: The Thuringian state penal institution Untermaßfeld in the years 1923 - 1933: on the methodology of the prison system in Germany . Frankfurt am Main 1980.
• Walter Thorun : Krebs, Albert , in: Hugo Maier (Hrsg.): Who is who of social work . Freiburg: Lambertus, 1998 ISBN 3-7841-1036-3 , p. 326ff.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Albert Krebs Library