By Lisa Marie Pecher
In Austria, a commission of experts set up after the death of a prisoner with a psychiatric condition identified structural deficiencies in the provision of mental healthcare in prisons. The commission’s findings have prompted urgent calls for reform, particularly in the light of the dramatic increase in the prison population, including prisoners with psychiatric conditions, in recent years.
In June 2026, a panel of independent experts on the penal system published a report that highlighted significant structural shortcomings in the provision of mental healthcare within Austrian prisons. The commission had been set up by the Minister of Justice in February 2026, following the death of a prisoner with a psychiatric condition at Hirtenberg Prison in December 2025. The report puts forward 78 recommendations aiming to address the main issues identified, including staff shortages, deficiencies in managing acute psychiatric crises, and inadequate detention conditions in high-security cells, as well as the abusive use of solitary confinement.
The report emphasises that the issues identified may contribute to “the onset and exacerbation of psychiatric and psychological crises” among prisoners. It also notes that these issues are exacerbated by a general increase in the prison population (+38% since 2001) and a drastic increase in the number of individuals placed in forensic treatment centres (specialised secure facilities for those subject to court-ordered forensic treatment measures, with an increase of +302% over the same period).
The expert commission’s findings should be considered in the light of the long-standing concerns raised by both the CPT and the Austrian Ombudsman Board. Following the publication of the report, the ombudsperson emphasised that many of the listed shortcomings had been “documented by the Austrian Ombudsman Board in parliamentary reports for years”. These previous recommendations are reflected in the March 2026 report on the situation of prisoners with mental health conditions in detention.
According to the government, some measures addressing the issues identified in the report had already been implemented or initiated prior to its publication. These include establishing of the position of Chief Psychiatrist within the General Directorate of the Prison Service, removing concrete beds from high-security cells, introducing body cameras for prison staff, issuing guidelines on compulsory treatment, creating of additional psychiatric positions and planning to establish a psychiatric ward in a prison. However, as Amnesty International has emphasised, while these measures can “improve conditions in prisons and forensic treatment centres, […] they are no substitute for structural reform”.
The European Prison Litigation Network (EPLN) and its members and partners monitor developments in domestic prison law across Europe and provide concise analyses of the most significant changes affecting prisoners’ rights at national level. These updates are intended to support practitioners in identifying emerging European trends, drawing on comparative experiences, and strengthening their legal practice and advocacy in defence of prisoners’ rights.
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