Vienna’s prisons hold a surprisingly young inmate population, with just 3.3 percent of prisoners aged over 60, according to data released Monday by the Vienna Justice Department.
The figure, representing 64 inmates across the Josefstadt and Simmering prisons, as well as the Mittersteig and Favoriten forensic therapy centers, sharply contrasts with Austria’s broader demographic trend of an aging population. Approximately one in five people in Austria is currently over 65, and that number is rising.
The low proportion of older inmates is particularly noticeable at the Josefstadt prison, Vienna’s largest correctional facility, where only five inmates are over the age of 70. Officials attribute this to the facility’s focus on housing individuals awaiting trial and those serving sentences of 18 months or less.
Inmates requiring significant medical care are typically transferred to the Wilhelmshöhe special hospital in Lower Austria, which has 58 beds dedicated to prisoners with high care needs, including palliative care. The Justice Ministry confirmed that transfers are initiated for inmates in Vienna requiring such care. Alternative facilities for those needing medical attention include an integrated special hospital within the Josefstadt prison and the Göllersdorf Forensic Therapy Center, with final placement decisions made by the execution court.
Of the 64 inmates over 60, eight are between 70 and 80 years old, and only two are over 80, the Justice Department stated.
