Interior Minister Gerhard Karner and the government are presenting a legislative package to parliament this Wednesday to facilitate deportations directly from prison. The plan aims to allow the deportation of foreign prisoners without their consent after they serve a minimum sentence, excluding serious violent, sexual, or terrorist offenses.
The initiative addresses critical overcrowding as Austrian prisons currently operate at 108 percent capacity. In the first half of 2026, over 7,000 people were deported, including nearly 3,500 convicted criminals. Currently, approximately ten convicted criminals leave the country daily, representing half of all total deportations recorded.
State Secretary Jörg Leichtfried noted that criminal sentence rankings are being adapted to EU systems to simplify serving sentences in home countries. The proposal also includes provisions for young offenders to complete training before starting their terms, while prioritizing the transfer of foreign inmates to relieve the domestic system.