Universal Periodic Review

Extend work and employment opportunities for detainees

Proponent:

Remarks to progress by Liga (last modified Dec 31, 2024):

In Austria, there are ongoing efforts to expand work and employment opportunities for prisoners, which is seen as a central component of their resocialisation. It is increasingly recognised that meaningful work during imprisonment not only structures everyday life, but also helps prisoners to develop skills that are necessary for later reintegration into the labour market. This includes not only traditional work activities, but also educational and vocational training programmes.  However, there are still challenges in the Austrian prison system, particularly with regard to the staffing situation and limited resources in the prisons. In 2022, prisoners worked an average of only 3.16 hours per day, which is far below the target values for productive and rehabilitative work. Furthermore, employment rates vary greatly between prisons, indicating an uneven distribution of work opportunities. There are also endeavours to further improve the existing system. The Court of Audit criticises a lack of holistic concepts for the operational structure in prisons and calls for greater use and expansion of workplaces. There are also concrete proposals for improvement with regard to the training and further education of prisoners, for example through the increased integration of vocational training measures and practical workplaces in the prisons. These developments are part of the ongoing reforms aimed at increasing prisoners‘ chances of successful resocialisation and a stable re-entry into society (see press release on the reports „Management and coordination of the penitentiary system; follow-up review“).
measures; follow-up review“ and „Resocialisation measures of the justice system“
of 15 March 2024: https://www.rechnungshof.gv.at/rh/home/home_1/fragen-medien/Presseinformation_Justizanstalten_15032024_bf.pdf).