There’s no one we can turn to

Manuel Metz from Lucerne founded the Reform25 association in Bostadel prison in April of this year. Together with fellow inmates, he offers support to prisoners, draws attention to abuses in the Swiss penal system, and calls for more opportunities for reintegration.
 

Manuel Metz, aged 38, from Lucerne, has been in Bostadel Prison in Menzingen for two years. He was sentenced to five years imprisonment for raping his ex-wife during their marriage. He claims to be innocent, and still refuses to accept the 2016 verdict. He and two fellow prisoners founded the Reform25 association in April, of which he is now president.

‘It all started when I began to look closely at my own case,’ he explains. The sex offender is allowed to receive visits from the Zuger Zeitung newspaper in the solicitor's office at the prison. For security reasons, the room is monitored by CCTV and visitors are given an emergency button. Having lost confidence in his lawyer, he is currently defending himself, and has learned to understand and interpret legal texts. Other prisoners soon started asked him for help: ‘They wanted to know what their sentence meant, or asked me to explain letters.’ This gave rise to the idea of creating a contact point for prisoners that is not dependent on the authorities. When talking to Manuel Metz, you can tell how serious he is about this issue; he seems well prepared and speaks eloquently.

Reform25 is now not only represented in Bostadel, but also in the prisons in Lenzburg AG, Thorberg BE and Grosshof in Kriens LU. In addition to inmates, former prisoners are also involved. ‘We need members to move forward. It would be almost impossible to do it alone,’ says Metz.

Cooperation with the authorities
‘There’s no one who prisoners can really turn to,’ says the inmate. Social services and chaplains are there, but they are mostly linked to the authorities. Reform25 wants to offer independent support from outside – without working against the state.

He emphasises that cooperation with the authorities remains important, for example, in the area of rehabilitation. ‘We are dependent on cooperation with the prison services, the municipalities and the cantons.’ But the association already receives support at Bostadel prison in Zug: ‘The management keeps its distance, but provides us with rooms and doesn't put any obstacles in our way.’

Manuel Metz is the president of the Reform25 association                             Photo combo: Boris Bürgisser/Alexandra Wey

For Manuel Metz, the term ‘rehabilitation/re-socialisation’ in prison is misleading: ‘It assumes that someone was previously socialised, which is not the case for certain prisoners.’ Although the authorities officially refer to ‘reintegration into society,’ there is often a lack of concrete implementation. In theory, prisoners should be prepared for life in freedom. In practice, however, according to Manuel Metz, there is often a lack of opportunities. ‘Many prisoners are simply released without any real rehabilitation having taken place. No wonder some of them re-offend.’

‘Pöschwies, Bostadel, Lenzburg, Grosshof, Thorberg: of these five prisons, only Pöschwies offers training, including an apprenticeship in cooking,’ says Metz. ‘Otherwise, the only option is to get a general education. Those who are released have nothing to fall back on,’ he criticises. He himself is catching up on his own School-Leaving Certificate (Matura) on his own initiative – without financial support. He inquired about training opportunities himself without Internet access, but via telephone calls and letters, and, in this way, he also obtained the required approvals for further education. The motivation for this has to come from the prisoners themselves, but many lack the energy. ‘I understand that. It takes an enormous amount of perseverance to keep going.’

Reform25 translates and explains
One of Reform25's goals is to give prisoners a voice. ‘It's hard to make progress on your own. But as a community, you have a voice,’ says Manuel Metz. Many prisoners struggle with language barriers, or have difficulty understanding official documents. Reform25 therefore helps to translate and explain court judgements.

In future, the association would like to work with publishers and libraries to make current law books more affordable for prisoners. ‘The Criminal Code is one of the most borrowed books in our library,’ says Manuel Metz.

Low wages and high costs
Reform25 also wants to draw attention to the financial situation of prisoners. ‘Our wages start at CHF 23.00 per working day, and can increase to CHF 34.00, depending on the work performance and the behaviour, at a rate of one Swiss franc per month.’ Prisoners in Bostadel work at basket weaving, painting or cardboard manufacturing, like Manuel Metz. ‘The wages are spread over three accounts: a free account with a maximum of CHF 400 per month for use at the prison kiosk, a blocked account for medical expenses and health insurance, and a second blocked account for savings after the release from prison,’ he explains. When you’re finally released, however, there’s usually hardly anything left.

The prisoner emphasises that he is not asking for luxury, but for compensation for the rate of inflation: ‘The prices in the prison kiosk are the same as those in the Volg supermarket. Hygiene products, stamps and envelopes are therefore expensive. We just want the wages and costs to be in proportion.’ He also has to pay the costs of further education for his Matura himself, between CHF 6,000 and CHF 8,000. ‘That's impossible on the prison wage.’ Despite these circumstances, he takes a nuanced view of the issue: ‘I’m aware that the victims of crime often receive too little attention. But if a prisoner earns more, he can also make more amends.’

Reform25 is currently still being financed from Manuel Metz's private account. The association is in the process of opening a bank account, but the president is aware that not all banks want to be associated with a prisoner association. He and his colleagues are persevering, however. "Behind the scenes, we are working with lawyers who are supporting us free of charge, for example. We are very grateful for this cooperation, especially in the initial phase." Everything simply takes time. Membership fees will be introduced from next year,: CHF 30.00 for prisoners and CHF 50.00 for outsiders.

Despite all the hurdles, Manuel Metz remains optimistic: ‘We are receiving good feedback from many prisons. That's how we grow.’

The Reform25 association calls for better conditions for prison inmates. A video from Tele1 (in German) can be seen on;
https://www.zugerzeitung.ch/zentralschweiz/zug/reform25-eine-stimme-fuer-strafgefangene-ld.4038380