Authorities in Germany have released hundreds of prisoners across the country before they serve their full sentences as an act of goodwill in the run-up to Christmas.
As detailed by the German Justice Ministry, a total of 1,056 inmates have been released early this year, a significant increase compared to 2022, when just over 800 prisoners were granted early release before Christmas, the DPA agency has reported.
The largest number of prisoners allowed to leave have been the 291 inmates in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which is also the country’s most populous.
As in previous years, Bavaria is the only one of the 16 German states not participating in the so-called ‘Christmas Amnesty’.
The Christmas amnesty is intended to give prisoners who will be released at the end of the year a good vacation and allow them to take advantage of assistance services and counseling centers before they go on Christmas vacation, according to the aforementioned agency.
However, there are also prisoners who refuse early release and prefer to spend Christmas in prison.
Most of the time, prisoners are released days, not months, early. Only prisoners who have not attracted negative attention in prison and have not had to serve a long sentence are eligible for release.
