The prison dilemma

THE GERMAN PRISON SYSTEM – a topic that interests politicians when elections are looming, and the media whenever scandal is involved – is expensive and largely ineffective: over half of the people released from prison re-offend within five years. Locking people up does not rehabilitate them. Instead, the influences of prison subculture prevail. Bernd Maelicke examines the causes of this dilemma, and highlights pathways to the successful social reintegration of offenders. With the »Rehabilitation Agenda 2025«, Bernd Maelicke outlines guidelines and an action plan for concrete and desperate improvement. His credo: »Punishing people is easy, but usually leads nowhere. Showing people a better path and helping them navigate it is difficult, but it’s worth it.«