Potential holdup in moving prisoners may be linked to absent furnishings, according to the CDU - Insufficient Furnishing May Cause Delay in Prison Transfer (for CDU)
The construction of Hamburg's new Youth Prison in Billwerder is progressing on schedule and within budget, but concerns have been raised about the timeline for the operation of the facility due to delays in the production and delivery of its furniture.
CDU member of the state parliament, Richard Seelmaecker, has expressed his concern about the inadequate organisation of equipment and furniture for the new prison, which is to be produced by inmates in the carpentry shop of JVA Billwerder. The justice authority believes that it is feasible for the inmates to produce the necessary furniture, but the delay in its production could potentially postpone the prison's scheduled opening in early 2027.
Twelve inmates work in the carpentry shop of JVA Billwerder, and they will have to produce around 2,000 pieces of furniture (excluding chairs) for the new youth prison. A small part of the detention cell furniture will be ordered externally, while the equipment for office and functional rooms will also be purchased externally.
The new Hamburg Youth Prison will have 256 detention places, with 218 inmates accommodated in open and closed detention, 18 places reserved for the social-therapeutic department, and 20 young offenders serving their sentences there. Only a few pieces of furniture from the old youth detention center in Hahnofersand will be moved to the new one in Billwerder, as most of the furniture is outdated and some sizes no longer fit.
The move of the youth detention center from the island of Hahnofersand in Jork (district of Stade) to Hamburg-Billwerder was originally planned for this year, but the construction work for the new Hamburg Youth Prison began in June 2023. The eight-hectare site of the new prison will accommodate the facilities, with individual areas being completed at different times.
Dennis Sulzmann, spokesman for the justice authority, explained that work is a crucial element of rehabilitation and that producing furniture in the carpentry shop promotes this. A delay in the move of the youth detention center due to a lack of furniture in the new prison would be "downright absurd," according to Seelmaecker.
The Senate has not announced a tender for the procurement of materials for the new Hamburg Youth Prison's furniture, and as of yet, no furniture has been crafted for the new prison. The furnishing of a detention cell includes 11 elements: bed, locker, wall shelf, bulletin board, coat rack, desk, under-cabinet, wall bracket, TV stand, chair, and mirror.
Seelmaecker's concern is due to the risk of postponing the prison's scheduled opening, and it remains to be seen whether the facility can be fully equipped and ready for use by the planned date.
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