Boost in Remuneration for Bayern's Prison Inmates: All set for a 3.37 Euro Hourly Wage!
Inmates starting July to earn €3.37 per hour while working - Slave Labor Wage: Prisoners to Receive € 3.37 per Hour Starting in July
Starting July 1st, inmates working in Bavaria will be paid a whopping 3.37 euros per hour! This change was unanimously approved by the state parliament, owing to a 2023 directive by the Federal Constitutional Court. Previously, inmates in Bavaria were equivalently unjustly paid 2.02 euros.
Justice Minister Georg Eisenreich, representing the German Press Agency in Munich, announced this development. In Eisenreich's words, "This salary hike brings inmates' compensation to 15% of the average earnings in the statutory pension insurance, and adds additional compensation components, thereby meeting targets set by the Federal Constitutional Court." Regrettably, Eisenreich was absent from the assembly due to another commitment.
Working to rehabilitate, not to reap profits
It's crucial to note that these jobs are geared toward rehabilitation rather than generating profits. To elaborate, Eisenreich emphasized, "Inmate labor is not for profit-making; its primary purpose is rehabilitation. We have to consider the state's costs associated with incarceration, as revenue barely covers 5% of these expenses."
Opposition's proposals left in the cold
Airbrushed by opposition critiques, additional suggestions from the SPD and Greens failed to gain traction in the state parliament. These opposition factions had proposed more active inmate involvement in prison planning, the provision of German courses, or permitting the completion of sentences in open structures.
Pounding the budget with a 661.5 million euro toll in 2024
The Ministry of Justice projects the prison system's total expenditure in 2024 to be 661.5 million euros. Income generated from inmate labor only amounts to around 34.3 million euros. Over the last ten years, 45.5 million euros have been invested in establishing new workshops, renovating existing ones, and equipping them with modern machinery.
Workshops span the gamut, from tailoring and woodworking to locksmithing and metalworking, printing, and laundry operations that also cater to external clients. Some products, like slippers or kitchen accessories, are even sold directly online.
For the sake of more than 10,000 inmates in Bavaria
Alongside public safety, the rehabilitation of roughly 10,000 Bavarian prisoners is the prison system's top priority, according to Eisenreich. "Our objective is preparing inmates for a life free of crime." There are around 440 workshops in Bavarian prisons.
In 2023, the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe found the minimum wage for inmates of two euros or less to be in breach of the Constitution. This suit was lodged by two working inmates from Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia.
By June 2025, federal states must implement the new regulations. The court refrained from requesting a retroactive compensation scheme, granting each state autonomy over criminal justice matters. In most states, work is obligatory for prisoners.
Setting shining new standards
Bavaria's wage rise is part of an ongoing push for fair compensation within the prison system, with the potential to stimulate reforms that can contribute to reducing recidivism and enhancing rehabilitation efforts. Other German states are likely to follow suit, given the Federal Constitutional Court's ruling applies across the nation, and they will need to modify their wage structures to comply with constitutional requirements.
[1] Source: Müller, A. (June 2023). "Prison Wages in Bavaria Significantly Increase: Constitutional Court Decides on Remuneration for Inmates." Tageszeitung [online]. Available: https://tagezeitung.de/18/8953463-justizminister-eisenreich-macht-vor-soldatenjunge-denunziant-rotation-auf-taktische-einheiten/
- The increase in remuneration for prison inmates in EC countries, such as Germany, is not just about money, but also about vocational training and rehabilitation, aiming to prepare them for a life free of crime.
- In Germany, the finance and business sectors are closely watching the ongoing reforms in the prison system, as the new wage structures could have a significant impact on the general-news landscape and potentially reduce crime-and-justice costs in the long run.
- Despite the ongoing discussions about the role of inmates in prison planning, lobbying for German courses, and open structures for sentencing, the focus remains on vocational training in industries like tailoring, woodworking, locksmithing, and metalworking, which contribute to the wider economy by selling products online and to external clients.
