In prison, contact with the outside world is highly restricted. Visits are rare, and calling out of a cell window is not an option. That is the end of the list. Unsurprisingly, mobile phones are at the top of inmates’ wish lists. However, they can only be obtained illegally. In rare cases, prison staff have been caught smuggling in such devices in exchange for money. But the overwhelming majority of employees in Bavaria’s correctional facilities are incorruptible. This includes a 36-year-old officer at Niederschönenfeld Prison in the Donau-Ries district, who was approached by an inmate from Augsburg. She declined the offer. The 22-year-old was brought before Judge Susanne Scheiwiller on bribery charges. His sentence was extended by another six months.
The young man already had five prior entries in the Federal Criminal Register. In 2023, the Augsburg District Court sentenced him to two years and ten months in a young offenders’ facility for aggravated assault. He was serving that sentence in Niederschönenfeld, which houses male inmates up to the age of 26. According to prosecutor Isabel Lacher, in early November 2024 the prisoner asked the officer to meet privately in her office. During the conversation, he asked whether she had financial problems and offered to help. If she could get him a mobile phone—one that could make international calls without being traced—he would pay her between €4,000 and €5,000. The officer firmly refused.
Legally, bribery does not require a “successful attempt.” Simply making the offer is enough to constitute the crime. That was the case here.
After the officer reported the incident to her supervisor, the prisoner was placed in the so-called “bunker,” a special solitary confinement cell, for twelve days. He was then kept separate from other inmates for six weeks before being transferred to Aichach Prison. During the trial, the defendant denied any serious intent through his lawyer, Ralf Schönauer, claiming it had all been a joke. The court did not believe him. The officer confirmed the incident in her testimony, stating: “I don’t get involved in such deals.” Judge Scheiwiller ultimately sentenced him to an additional six months in prison, which means the 22-year-old will not be released until June 2026.
Latest Posts
