Josef Fritzl should no longer spend his imprisonment in the prison system for mentally abnormal criminals, but should instead be transferred to a “normal” prison. But what does that mean exactly?
Josef Fritzl, who now goes by a different name, should be sent to normal prison. His lawyer Astrid Wagner announced this on Thursday. However, the decision is not yet legally binding. The Krems regional court rejected a general dismissal.
The transfer to normal prison is limited to ten years. Josef Fritzl must provide evidence of regular psychotherapy and psychiatric examinations. But what does that mean in practice? After all, if the verdict becomes final, Fritzl will remain in Stein prison – he will just be moved from the correctional department to the normal prison.
Difference: intensity of care
When the “press” asked, they couldn’t say much about it at the Stein prison. Because the judgment is not yet legally binding. The big difference between the execution of measures and normal prison is the intensity of the care, explains prison spokesman Markus Weselka. “In prison, you have a lot more psychological support, for example in the form of talk therapies,” he explains. This is no longer applicable in normal enforcement.
However, general medical care, including psychiatric care, will remain the same. An inmate who moves will continue to be cared for by the same team of doctors and the same psychiatrist – because they are responsible for all departments. He would also receive the same medication, if any were prescribed.
Sick for the first time, shortly before discharge?
Only once a verdict is final will a team decide what to do next with Fritzl in detail. Because even “normal” prison has different departments, which is what we call prisons in technical language. There is, for example, a department for people who are in prison for the first time, one for those who are about to be released, but also one for the sick. People who need medical care are accommodated there. Wheelchair users, for example. They are then not in contact with others, says Weselka.
The 88-year-old Fritzl has dementia. That is also the reason why a three-member Senate voted on Thursday to release Fritzl from the enforcement of the measures. The psychiatric expert Heidi Kastner certifies that due to dementia he is no longer under the influence of a serious and lasting mental disorder and that the prerequisites for placement in the penal system are no longer met. His lawyer Astrid Wagner wants to continue fighting for a conditional dismissal.
Change tract internally
It is also not clear whether Fritzl could have a cellmate in a normal prison setting. He will definitely be put in another cell. The enforcement of measures is located in a different wing than the normal enforcement.
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