Inmates at JVA Zweibrücken learn to drive to help find employment

Inmate Driving Lessons at Zweibrücken Prison Offer a Path to Employment

For an inmate identified as Marcel, serving a prison sentence at the Justizvollzugsanstalt (JVA) Zweibrücken, the road to freedom begins behind the wheel of an older vehicle during supervised driving lessons, swr.de reported. The program allows eligible prisoners with good behavior to drive in local city traffic while building towards a standard driver's license.

Operating an older car keeps operating costs lower than those of modern driving school vehicles. The training program itself carries a total cost between 700 and 900 euros for each participant. Because prisoners earn modest wages during incarceration, Marcel spent months saving a portion of his monthly earnings from the moment he entered the facility to cover the expense.

Prison Officer Teaches Driving Lessons to Inmates

Daniel Riegel, who serves as both a driving instructor and a Justizvollzugsbeamter at the facility, makes the training possible. Because Riegel receives his primary salary through his work as an officer in the prison, the facility incurs no additional instructor fees for the practical road sessions. Riegel also conducts theory classes twice a week during evening hours to accommodate the work and vocational training schedules of the inmates.

The correctional facility has offered the driver’s training program since 1989, helping approximately 300 inmates obtain their licenses. According to the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Justice, the Gefängnisfahrschule in this form is unique in Germany. Practical sessions require proper detention relaxations, meaning participants must have earned the right to undertake supervised day releases before getting behind the wheel. For the justice system, the driving school serves as an important contribution to resocialization, offering a chance at a law-abiding life.

Inmate Prepares for Practical Driving Test and Release

Marcel has successfully passed his theoretical examination and anticipates taking his practical driving test in November. Regarding his license, instructor Riegel noted, Und es ist natürlich auch immer eine schöne Sache fürs Selbstvertrauen, dass ich sagen kann, ich habe jetzt hier eine Prüfung geschafft und habe meinen Führerschein in der Tasche und kann dann später selbstständig zur Arbeit fahren. His legal status has also shifted following a recent transfer to the open prison system, granting him daily leave and the prospect of spending an initial full weekend at home. Current projections indicate that Marcel could receive an early release in May 2027 if his progress continues smoothly, leaving him fully licensed to secure work and travel independently to employment outside the facility walls.