Inmates in Vienna: Taxpayers finance rental assistance!

Inmates in Vienna: Taxpayers finance rental assistance!

A recent report on rent assistance for prisoners in Vienna reveals that the city offers unique support for incarcerated people. How crown reported that last year the city provided 31 prisoners with a total of 54,202.04 euros in rental assistance. Although this measure is met with divided opinions among the public, City Councilor for Social Affairs Peter Hacker describes it as economically sensible in order to facilitate the reintegration of prisoners.

However, a look at the regulations in other federal states shows that Vienna is alone with this practice. There are no housing benefits for prisoners in Upper Austria. In Vorarlberg, criminals with an unconditional prison sentence of at least six months are not entitled to social assistance, while Burgenland generally does not provide any monthly support for prisoners. Theoretically, aid could only be granted in exceptional cases for short prison sentences of up to six months, but so far there are no documented cases of this.

Regional differences in rental assistance

In Tyrol, rent payments are checked individually during imprisonment, although this support is only paid out in one or two cases per year. In Lower Austria, rental subsidies are linked to the main residence, which means that the prison becomes the main residence during the prison term. In Salzburg, however, it may be possible for minors in short prison sentences lasting a few weeks to receive rental assistance. In Styria, people in inpatient facilities are excluded from social assistance, while in individual cases support can be granted for prison sentences of less than six months.

The different approaches taken by the federal states raise exciting questions: Does it really make sense to support prisoners in this way? Does it make a difference to returning to life after prison? Many voices in society see a gap between financial support for prisoners and support for vulnerable citizens who are not incarcerated.

Background information about support and its impact

Rent assistance could ultimately help reduce recidivism rates by providing inmates with a foundation on which to build their lives during their release from prison. City Councilor for Social Affairs Peter Hacker is convinced that this form of support can make a positive contribution to society as it aims to reintegrate prisoners.

However, it remains to be seen whether other federal states will follow Vienna's example. If there is no change, Vienna could continue to profile itself as an obscure pioneer in helping prisoners, while other regions continue to maintain strict regulations. Meanwhile, the debate over prisoner welfare calls on citizens to think about justice, opportunity and the perception of laws that apply not only to convicts but also to society as a whole.