Prisoners in SH: From 2026, wages for work will be drastically increased!

Prisoners in SH: From 2026, wages for work will be drastically increased!

From July 2026 there will be a comprehensive change for prisoners in Schleswig-Holstein: they can look forward to higher wages for their work. The black-green state government has agreed to a first step to reform the prison law. This decision is the result of demands from the Federal Constitutional Court, which brought the new regulation of prisoner remuneration into play in 2023. [n-tv].

Justice Minister Kerstin von der Decken (CDU) underlined the importance of this reform. It sees the adjustment not only as necessary, but also as a necessary step to fulfill constitutional principles. Previously, prisoners in Schleswig-Holstein only received a basic wage of 1.89 euros per hour. From the new law, which is due to come into force on July 1, 2026, this amount will increase to 3.11 euros per hour. According to kn-online this is a step in the right direction, especially since similar wages already exist in other federal states such as Bavaria, where a Hourly wage of 3.37 euros has been paid since July 1st.

Background of the reform

But what made this reform necessary? Essentially, the impetus came from two prisoners in Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia who filed their constitutional complaints in 2023 and denounced the inadequate remuneration. These complaints were accepted by the Federal Constitutional Court, which classified the existing regulations as inadequate. The remuneration of 9% of the reference figure had not kept pace with price developments or the cost of living since the late 1990s and was therefore declared unconstitutional. In its decision, the Federal Constitutional Court made it clear that the current regulations violate the rehabilitation requirement and must be revised by June 30, 2025 federal constitutional court.

The state government has already planned the budgets for 2026 and 2027. Additional costs of 1.1 million euros are expected for 2026, while total costs of 2.3 million euros are expected for 2027. These additional expenses have already been taken into account in the key figures of the budget. In total, prisoners must work at least 38 hours per week to receive their pay.

The reactions from various associations and unions show that the current wages in the German judicial system have been heavily criticized. The reform is therefore seen not only as a financial benefit for the inmates, but also as a first step towards fairer regulation.