The Austrian prison newspaper BLICKPUNKTE does not only give editors and experts the chance to write about the issues of the Austrian prison system and other relevant topics but also enables inmates to actively participate in creating this newspaper and presenting their point of view. About 20 volunteers work on our monthly newspaper. We address issues in our newspaper such as the shortcomings of the Austrian forensic commitment, life behind bars, international prison systems, etc
The number of people in Austria being sentenced to forensic commitment has been increasing dramatically over the last few years. From the current total of 9,000 inmates, one thousand people have been sentenced to forensic commitment. The idea of forensic commitment for mentally ill criminals instead of regular imprisonment was to help those people by providing therapy and other forms of assistance. However, due to lack of funding people involved in forensic commitment face shortcomings.
Our prison newspaper BLICKPUNKTE is dedicated to calling more attention to the issues mentioned above. We regularly report on the issues and shortcomings of the Austrian prison system and the effects they have on prisoners and their families as well as on society. Our editors critically analyze current political decisions and give a voice to people society is likely to ignore.
BLICKPUNKTE advocates the protection of human rights, the principles of parliamentary democracy, constitutionality and respect for all religious and ethnic groups. It is an independent and impartial newspaper that addresses all readers who are interested in the development of forensic commitment as well as the occurrences in prisons from inmates' and experts' perspectives.
