Austrian prisoner number reaches record level

VIENNA, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Austrian prisons are struggling with overcapacity as inmate number reached an all-time record of 9,400, a senior official has stated.

Speaking to daily newspaper Die Presse, new director general for prisons Friedrich Koenig said additional measures must be looked at to deal with the problem, as some corrections facilities are struggling to cope.

If the government decides to implement stronger sentences for violent and sexual crimes, it will put even further strain on the penal system, he added.

With 55 percent of prisoners being foreign nationals, Koenig said more of them should be made to serve their sentences in their countries of origin.

In addition, the use of ankle monitors could be expanded. Koenig said about 380 people currently wear the tracking devices, with very few issues.

He said expanding their use in instances of less serious crimes could also go some way to alleviating prison overcrowding.

The lack of prison staff is another cause for concern. Koenig said this will be brought up when the next budget negotiations take place soon.

According to the brochure issued by the Federal Ministry of Justice about Austrian correctional services in August 2016, the structural and security standards of Austrian prisons are "outright up-to-date", with all prisons providing libraries and facilities such as gyms and fitness studios.

Justice Center Leoben, a court and prison complex designed by famous architect Josef Hohensinn and completed in 2004, is boasted as the world's best luxury jail, having groups of 15 one-person cells with floor-to-ceiling windows, private lavatories and a common space including a small kitchen.