Thuringia and Saxony: Prison construction in Zwickau is taking concrete shape!

Thuringia and Saxony: Prison construction in Zwickau is taking concrete shape!

What's happening in Zwickau? The Thuringian state government remains committed to building a joint prison with Saxony in Zwickau. Thuringia's Construction Minister Steffen Schütz (BSW) confirms that the new construction should move forward despite the rising costs and some details that still need to be clarified. An agreement between the two federal states already exists. “We are optimistic that the correctional facility will be built under the current premises,” said Schütz and revealed the basic requirements that must apply to the new building.

The construction project is experiencing a significant explosion in costs: the originally estimated 150 million euros have now almost doubled to 303 million euros. Thuringia has already personally contributed 106 million euros. The planned time frame stipulates that the first prisoners should move in in 2029. Schütz also made it clear that Thuringia could “show the red card” if the schedule was not adhered to. This statement shows how relevant the development is for both federal states. The new correctional facility (JVA) is intended to replace the old prison in Hohenleuben and offer up to 820 places - 450 for Saxony and 370 for Thuringia, according to information from medienservice.sachsen.de.

Construction facts

The entire construction project is carried out under the management of the state-owned company Saxon Real Estate and Construction Management. The location of the new building is on the former site of the Reichsbahn repair shop in Zwickau-Marienthal. Representatives of both countries were also present at a recent topping-out ceremony, including Dirks Diedrichs from the Saxon Ministry of Finance and Susanna Karawanskij, Thuringia's Infrastructure Minister. Here are some details about the planned facilities:

• Sechs Hafthäuser für geschlossenen Vollzug
• Ein Hafthaus für offenen Vollzug
• Sporthalle und Arbeitsbetriebe
• Kultur- und Verwaltungsgebäude mit Besucherzentrum

The entire construction area covers more than 30,000 square meters, enclosed by a six-meter-high concrete wall. This new JVA will replace the existing prisons in Hohenleuben, the previous JVA Zwickau and in Zeithain. Completion is planned for the second quarter of 2024, with gradual commissioning taking place in the second half of 2024.

Statistical perspective

In order to better understand the background to prison construction, it is worth taking a look at the current prison statistics in Germany. This shows that the need for detention places depends largely on the respective legal situation and crime developments. According to the Federal Statistical Office report, which records data up to March 31, 2023, we can see that there is an increasing demand for suitable detention places. One can get the impression that the correctional facilities are in a constant process of adaptation in order to meet the various requirements, as is also shown in the information from destatis.de.

The development surrounding the new prison building in Zwickau-Marienthal remains an issue that will affect both politics and society in Thuringia and Saxony. We are excited to see how the project continues to unfold!