Prisoner uprising in Hahnöfersand juvenile detention centre: three inmates attack officers
Three young men attacked correctional officers at Hahnöfersand juvenile detention centre on Whit Saturday and injured four of them. The Hamburg state prosecutor's office is investigating.
Attack on correctional officers at Hahnöfersand juvenile detention centre
The Hamburg state prosecutor's office is investigating three young men on suspicion of prisoner uprising at Hahnöfersand juvenile detention centre. According to DER SPIEGEL (Justice & Crime), the proceedings are directed against a 19-year-old and two 21-year-olds. During the incident on Whit Saturday, four staff members were injured, two of whom required hospital treatment.
The attack began when the young men attacked a staff member in a materials room. They took from him his multi-purpose duty belt along with institutional keys, hand radio, handcuffs and service knife, and then restrained him, according to a spokesperson for the justice authority.
Using the stolen key, one of the prisoners gained access to another ward and attacked a further staff member there with the service knife. This officer remained uninjured and managed to trigger the alarm in time. Colleagues who rushed to the scene brought the situation under control.
At the same time, the other two prisoners had armed themselves with broken table legs and injured another staff member. This situation was also de-escalated by reinforcing officers. The three inmates eventually allowed themselves to be arrested without resistance with their hands restrained behind their backs. When police arrived, the situation was already under control; all stolen items were secured.
The service knife, which correctional officers carry as standard, is used to quickly sever strangulation devices in the event of a suicide attempt by an inmate.
According to the authority spokesperson, the motive for the attack remains unclear and is subject to ongoing investigation. An escape attempt is considered unlikely. Hamburg media had reported on a possible act of revenge – the inmates allegedly attempted to "lynch" a fellow prisoner. All prisoners involved were transferred to other detention facilities.
The spokesperson emphasised that comparable incidents in which prisoners have acted together with violence against staff have not previously occurred at Hahnöfersand. The staffing level required for operations was in place on the day of the incident. The authority is examining possible consequences arising from the incident.
Hahnöfersand juvenile detention facility is located on the eponymous Elbe island in the Lower Saxon municipality of Jork, but is under Hamburg administration. The facility has 176 prison places and 20 holding cells. The inmates include the alleged child abuser who, under the pseudonym "White Tiger," allegedly drove children on the internet to sexual acts and self-harm up to and including suicide.