Opposition party déi Lénk (The Left) queried the proportion of foreign nationals in Luxembourgish prisons, compared to the number of Luxembourgish citizens, to determine whether any prejudice was involved when handing out convictions.
Marc Baum, MP for déi Lénk (The Left), recently raised a parliamentary question concerning studies that claim there is no scientific evidence supporting a higher conviction rate among individuals with an immigrant background. In contrast, other research, such as studies from Germany, suggests that judges may impose harsher sentences on young people of Turkish or ex-Yugoslavian origin compared to their German counterparts.
Justice Minister Elisabeth Margue provided data for the years 2014 to 2024. She noted that the data focuses primarily on nationality rather than ethnic background. Individuals with dual nationality, including Luxembourgish, are categorized as Luxembourgish, and the report also includes cases where the individual's nationality is unknown.
Margue clarified that the report does not differentiate between the severity of infractions, as it relies solely on statistical data.
The report covers three types of punishments: permanent imprisonment, partial suspension, or full suspension of the sentence. It excludes individuals in pre-trial detention.
From 2014 to mid-2024, there were approximately 27,000 cases recorded at first registration on someone's criminal record. Of these, 40% were Luxembourgish, 55.6% were foreign nationals, and the remainder had no known nationality. The distribution remained consistent until mid-2024.
Among those without a previous record and who were convicted of a crime, 20% were Luxembourgish, 69% were foreigners, and 11% had unknown nationality. These proportions have also remained stable over the past decade.
And within all people convicted of their first crime, 21% of sentences were for fixed prison terms, with the remainder being fully or partially suspended. Luxembourgers received just over 5% of the fixed prison sentences, while foreigners received nearly 80%, and the remaining 15% were individuals with unknown nationality. These proportions have remained relatively steady over the past ten years.
Currently, Luxembourgish prisons house 350 inmates with 69% being foreign nationals and 31% Luxembourgish. These figures do not include those in pre-trial detention.
The Minister of Justice expressed support for raising awareness among magistrates about potential prejudices and stereotypes. However, she emphasized that addressing these issues falls outside the ministry's responsibility and is instead the duty of the judicial authorities.
