According to the German newspaper FAZ, at least 1,200 people were even released before November. A number of the states referred to the Christmas period to justify the decision, with the Saarland Ministry of Justice speaking of a “humanitarian act”. Nine Saarland prisoners were able to benefit from this altruism, 59 in Niedersachsen, nine in Thüringen, 14 in Schleswig-Holstein, 16 in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and finally, 43 in Hamburg.
A host of practical reasons were also laid out, with the Berlin Senate Department revealing that counselling centres were often overburdened towards the end of the year. Aside from this, premature releases should facilitate the pursuit of employment, as well as make finding accommodation easier, a feat that is becoming increasingly difficult.
In any case, only prisoners due to be released in December or January were discharged early, and “good behaviour” following their release is also expected.
