The architectural design of Austrian correctional facilities, as well as the organizational conditions, play a decisive role in the security and implementation of measures for the reintegration of juvenile and female inmates in the prison system. As women merely constitute a small proportion of the total prison population in Europe (from 2.9% in PL to 7.8% in ES), they face particular challenges and structural disadvantages. Austria is in the upper range with a female inmate rate of 6.76%. The second "vulnerable" group addressed in this project is juveniles in prison. Due to their age, they form a minority within the prison system, which necessitates special protection.
The aim of the project is to develop a contemporary structural and organizational recommendation guideline for correctional facilities that focuses on the specific needs of female and juvenile inmates and takes sustainability principles into account.
Measures to improve the detention conditions for female and juvenile inmates in Austrian prisons are developed using an interdisciplinary approach from criminal sociology, law and architecture, and taking existing organizational and structural conditions into account.

The project is funded by the Austrian Security Research Programme KIRAS of the Austrian Ministry of Finance.

Project Partner

Austrian Ministry of Justice

Project Manager

FH Campus Wien Research and Development

Walter Hammerschick (at IRKS)

Project Period

January 2025 to January 2027

Project Team

Rebecca Walter