"People with disabilities in prison" was the theme of a conference held by the Faculty of Applied Social Studies on January 16 at Sonnenstraße.
The focus was on the perspective of affected prisoners. Prof. Dr. Carsten Rensinghoff, for example, reported on the case of a disabled woman who, regardless of her severe physical limitations, had to endure humiliating examinations during her imprisonment, which were much more unpleasant for her than for non-disabled people due to her disability, and was subsequently housed in conditions that were nowhere near suitable for the disabled.
Other topics included legal requirements and international standards as well as structural aspects, which Friederike Asche from the Faculty of Architecture at Fachhochschule Dortmund shed light on.
According to organizer Prof. Dr. Christine Graebsch, the conference was "a first insight into a topic that has so far been largely ignored in science and practice". As a first attempt with selective insights into some areas of practice, the conference had at least given the "white spot" of accessibility in prisons a few splashes of color, which "can only be a start".
It was all the more apparent "that there is still a great need for research and practical action". As a next step, an international conference will also include English-language contributions.
Other speakers were
- Dr. Karin Rowhani-Wimmer, Austrian member of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture of the Council of Europe)
- Prof. Dr. Reinhard Klaushofer from the University of Salzburg, Head of the Federal Commission of the Austrian Ombudsman Board for the Execution of Sentences and Measures
- Sandra Sinsch-Gouffi, music therapist in the prison system
- Prof. Dr. Oliver Tolmein, specialist lawyer for medical law
- Thomas Meyer-Falk, author and former prisoner
- Pamela Pabst, specialist lawyer for criminal law
The symposium "Accessibility in prison - a white spot" was organized by the Faculty of Applied Social Studies at the Fachhochschule Dortmund and the Faculty of Social Affairs and Education at the DIPLOMA University of Applied Sciences in Bad Sooden-Allendorf.