The ARD series "A Better Place" is currently being broadcast on television and is also available in the media library(Opens in a new tab) . A professor at Fachhochschule Dortmund contributed to the series.
The eight-part series by German-Finnish author Alexander Lindh creates an interesting mind game: a world without prisons. Mayor Amir Kaan and criminologist Petra Schach launch the TRUST rehabilitation program in the fictional community of Rheinstadt. The prison is closed and the inmates are integrated into society. Instead of a prison sentence, those released receive therapy, work and housing.
What does this do to the residents of the city, who initially support the experiment by a large majority? What does it do to the former prisoners? With the victims of the crimes? This is the subject of the eight 45-minute episodes. "Prisons are viewed very critically in parts of academia," says Prof. Dr. Christine Graebsch. The criminologist is an expert in criminal and migration law and teaches at the Faculty of Applied Social Studies at Fachhochschule Dortmund. She provided intensive counseling to the authors of the series, read the scripts and was also present on the set. "I was really impressed by how deeply the team delved into the subject of prison," she says. And she can relate very well to the character of criminologist Petra Schach.
For Christine Graebsch, prisons are primarily a way of combating symptoms rather than a solution. Locking up offenders does not change the social conditions that create the offenders. Criminal law, for example, fights the poor instead of poverty. "The series is not a blueprint, but a contribution to the debate," emphasizes the professor. And a debate about punishment and how to deal with offenders is urgently needed.
That's why Christine Graebsch also wants to promote the exchange in Dortmund and is planning a citizens' dialog with experts on the sense and nonsense of prisons, what they can and cannot do. Until then, it's worth taking a look at the series. Without spoiling anything, two things can be anticipated: Not everything goes smoothly in this fictional experiment and Professor Graebsch also makes a small guest appearance in front of the camera in addition to her scientific counseling for the series.