TBDWBAJ at Justizanstalt Wien-Favoriten

Project Realisation Justizanstalt Wien-Favoriten
October–November 2007

Justizanstalt Wien-Favoriten, Hardtmuthgasse 40-42, 1100 Wien, Austria

Wien-Favoriten Prison is located in Austria and used to have a wing designated for female inmates. Currently, the prison is designated for male inmates only.

Prison Management during Project Realisation

Wolfgang Werdenich, Psychology
Corinna Obrist, Psychology, Head of the Women's Department

Wolfgang Werdenich is a PhD psychologist, and therapist, and has been involved in drug work and research. Since 1980, he has served as the prison director in Favoriten. Werdenich was the first to introduce alternative therapeutic models in Austria following Broda's judicial reform of 1975, specifically implementing these models at the correctional facility in Vienna-Favoriten.

General Information - Wien-Favoriten Prison

In 1975, as part of the 'major criminal law reform,' the district court prison was converted into a special therapeutic institution with around 100 therapy places for alcohol and drug addicts in custody. This marked a profound change in the institution's function from a regular prison to a treatment facility. Since then, inmates have been required by a court order under Section 22 of the Criminal Code to undergo therapeutic treatment here. Additionally, Section 68a of the Criminal Procedure Code created the possibility of offering therapy to addicted inmates during their detention, even without a court order. In both cases, therapeutic concepts are used that have also proven effective in outpatient treatment and are considered internationally "state of the art."

Today, the facility is known as the Forensic Therapeutic Centre Vienna-Favoriten. It is responsible for housing male individuals who are legally deemed not accountable due to severe and persistent mental illness. This legal mandate is derived from Section 21, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code.