Prison system Burgdorf prison needs container detention places due to IT system

The canton of Bern is putting containers into operation for additional prisoners in the Burgdorf regional prison. This is necessary due to the changeover to a new IT system. The cantonal government has approved a loan for the containers, as announced.

The conversion of the cantonal IT system for finance and accounting has led to a delay in the collection of fines. The judiciary, the tax administration for legal debt collection and the debt collection offices are affected, as the canton of Bern wrote in a press release on Thursday.

The delays have led to a backlog in the conversion of unpaid fines into substitute custodial sentences. As an immediate measure to provide additional prison places, containers are therefore being put into operation at the Burgdorf regional prison, the canton added. The approved loan amounts to CHF 5.57 million.

According to the canton, the backlog in May 2024 amounted to around 10,000 dossiers that were delayed in reaching the probation and enforcement services. Based on past experience, the canton expects that a substitute custodial sentence will have to be enforced in around a quarter of these cases.

IT system must be "optimized"

The regional prisons in Bern, Biel, Burgdorf and Thun, which are responsible for enforcing alternative custodial sentences, were up to 113% full in May 2024. This is why these containers are now needed. They offer around 40 additional prison places.

If fines are not paid even after reminders and legal collection proceedings, the fine is converted into a so-called substitute custodial sentence. The canton of Bern converted its IT system for finance and accounting to a new system at the beginning of 2023. This has shown that various optimizations need to be made to the system to ensure a smooth process flow in fine collection.