Violence and staff shortages in Luxembourg’s prisons

On Thursday, the Parliamentary Committee on Justice discussed security in the country’s prisons. The issue returns to the agenda following every serious incident involving prisoners or staff. Following the meeting, the committee concluded that prisons cannot be described as fundamentally unsafe, but there is still much room for improvement.

Back in May, the Association of Prison Guards publicly highlighted a severe staff shortage and warned that, as a result, staff were finding it increasingly difficult to carry out their duties effectively. These warning signs were confirmed by two incidents: in August and September, prisoners attacked prison officers with a plate and a frying pan respectively. At the meeting, the prison administration presented statistics showing that these were not isolated incidents.

According to Deputy Director Caroline Lieffrig, 17 physical attacks on staff have been recorded since the start of the year. This is slightly fewer than in previous years; however, she emphasised that such incidents still pose a serious threat to safety.

Lieffrig also highlighted a new trend relating to the intervention of a specialised rapid-response unit. In 2023, there were 45 such incidents; in 2024, 43; in 2025, 39; and 87 are forecast for 2026 – more than double the figure for the previous year.

Violence amongst prisoners themselves also remains a problem: 146 such incidents have been recorded since the start of the year. There are currently around 820 people held in Luxembourg’s prisons, whilst the number of staff exceeds 870, of whom more than 560 are involved in supervision. At the same time, as participants in the discussion point out, existing facilities, such as the Uerschterhaff correctional centre, are increasingly operating at full capacity.