Social therapeutic institute

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A social therapeutic institution is a special form of penitentiary system that uses special therapeutic means and social support for criminals at risk of relapse . The establishment is required by law.

Legal basis

With the criminal law reform of 1969, social therapeutic institutions were set up in most federal states at the beginning of the 1970s. At that time it was recognized that there are different groups of (relapse-prone) offenders who cannot get out of the offense on their own without the special help of the social therapeutic institutions, be it because their personality is disturbed or they lose their lives with their acquired behavior cannot cope with it in a socially acceptable manner. Since 1977, placement in a social therapeutic institution has been anchored in the Prison Act as a transfer within the prison system (Section 9 StVollzG).

Initially, it was a mere can-do rule that made it possible to relocate a prisoner "if the special therapeutic means and social assistance of such an institution are indicated for his rehabilitation." With the "Law to Combat Sexual Offenses and Others." dangerous criminal offenses ”of January 28, 1998 ( Federal Law Gazette I p. 160 ), the tasks of the social therapeutic institutions and departments have changed significantly. The previous regulation has been supplemented by a mandatory enforcement solution (Section 9 (1) StVollzG), which provides sexual offenders with convictions of more than two years' imprisonment a legal right to be transferred to a social therapeutic facility when treatment is indicated. After the legislative competence for the penal system has been transferred from the federal government to the federal states as part of the federalism reform , the respective state laws also contain similar provisions on social therapeutic institutions in adult and youth penal institutions.

Social therapeutic institutions in Germany

Prison places in social therapeutic institutions of the prison system are offered either in their own social therapeutic institutions or in special departments of the regular prison system. While the number of institutions used to predominate, in March 2018 there were 6 self-employed and 63 dependent social-therapeutic institutions in Germany, which provided a total of 2,395 detention places. Around 49% of the places were occupied by sex offenders in 2018, followed by those convicted of homicides with around 24%.

Prison development

Since the statutory introduction of compulsory social therapeutic treatment of sex offenders in 1998, the number of available prison places in social therapy has increased from originally around 900 places in 20 facilities in 1997 to 2,395 places in 69 facilities in 2018, of which 2,032 were occupied.

In recent years, following the decision of the Federal Constitutional Court of May 31, 2006 (2 BvR 1673/04), social therapy has been expanded, particularly in the field of juvenile detention. In 2018 there were 471 places here, which corresponds to a share of 19.7% of the total places.

In 2018 only 95 places were available in the women's prison.

Of the total available prison places, 75 were in the open prison in 2018, the rest were made available in the closed prison.

Furnishing

The size, design and program of these facilities are very heterogeneous, but in the past there has been a certain degree of standardization through the acceptance of so-called minimum requirements, which are established by the working group for social therapeutic institutions in prison. V. were developed. Annual surveys by the Criminological Central Office show that these standards in terms of organization and structure as well as documentation and evaluation are already met by over 50% of the facilities. However, there is a deficit in the minimum personnel requirements, which currently only around 33% meet.

Effectiveness research

Numerous studies have been available since the 1970s to assess the effectiveness of socio-therapeutic treatment of offenders. Meta-evaluation studies showed a moderate main effect of social therapy of 8 to 14% (e.g. less relapse compared to regular implementation). For offenders with a high risk of recidivism, social therapy in the penal system is, according to experts, an essential instrument for reducing recidivism. In many cases, however, the success of a social therapeutic treatment depends not least on the aftercare of released prisoners. There has been an increase here in recent years (2009: 192 people; 2010: 216 people; 2011: 270 people).

literature

  • R. Egg et al: Evaluation of criminal offender treatment programs in Germany. Overview and meta-analysis. In: G. Rehn u. a. (Ed.): Treatment of "dangerous offenders". Basics, concepts, results . Centaurus, Herbolzheim 2001, pp. 321–347.
  • R. Egg: Social therapeutic institutions and departments in the penal system. Minimum requirements for organization and equipment. Indications for laying. In: Forum Prison. 56, 3, 2007, pp. 100-103.
  • Sonja Etzler: Social Therapy in Prison 2018. Overview of results for the survey as of March 31, 2018 . Criminological Central Office, Wiesbaden 2018, ISBN 978-3-945037-24-9
  • F. Lösel: Meta-analytical contributions to the revived discussion of the treatment idea. In: M. Steller u. a. (Ed.): Treatment of offenders. Centaurus, Pfaffenweiler 1994, pp. 13-34.
  • S. Niemz: Social Therapy in Prison 2011. Overview of results for the survey as of March 31, 2011. Criminological Central Office, Wiesbaden 2011.
  • S. Niemz: Evaluation of social therapeutic treatment in the penal system. (= Criminology and Practice. Volume 68). Criminological Central Office, Wiesbaden 2015, ISBN 978-3-945037-07-2 .
  • B. Wischka, W. Pecher, H. van den Boogaart (eds.): Treatment of offenders: social therapy, penal measures, preventive detention . Centaurus, Freiburg, Br. 2012, ISBN 978-3-86226-140-6 .
  • JVA Ludwigshafen - social therapeutic institution: conception, Ludwigshafen 2005, p. 1.

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