Tyrolean Child Psychiatrist Warns Against Early Incarceration of Young People

The chief physician stressed that a "gefängnisähnliche Unterbringung" of young people would exacerbate pre-existing psychological burdens. Instead, she said, what was needed were therapeutic services tailored to the individual life situation of those affected.

Another central focus of her work is the question of dealing with digital media. "Der Social-Media-Gebrauch ist nahezu bei all unseren Patienten Thema," said Sevecke. She warned that excessive use could intensify existing mental illness and have a negative impact on the course of treatment.

Political Background to the Debate

The background to the debate is planning at the federal political level to adjust the age of criminal responsibility and the threshold for criminal accountability. Gerhard Karner has also repeatedly called for a tightening in recent times, pointing to a small but seriously conspicuous group of young suspects.

Sevecke opposes this approach on professional grounds. She argues that young offenders often come from highly burdened backgrounds themselves and are further traumatised by incarceration. Detention, she says, is no substitute for psychiatric or psychotherapeutic treatment.

The debate comes at a time when the number of inpatient admissions to child and adolescent psychiatry in Tyrol has been rising for years. The Hall hospital treats children and young people from all over western Austria; waiting times for outpatient therapy places, according to experts, are long.

Calls for Prevention and Therapy

Professional associations have long been calling for an expansion of outpatient, outreach support services as well as the expansion of forensic outpatient clinics designed to catch young people after their release from custody. Sevecke supports these demands and sees prevention as the most effective lever.

In terms of domestic policy, no end to the discussion is in sight. The government is examining various models for earlier criminal responsibility, while the opposition is calling above all for the expansion of educational and social measures. Karner recently stressed that society had a right to protection, particularly when young repeat offenders came to notice.

For Sevecke, the decisive factor remains that every reform must be grounded in the welfare of the child. "Wir müssen alles tun, um diese Kinder und Jugendlichen aus den Negativspiralen herauszuholen, in denen sie sich befinden," she had said in the interview. Otherwise, she warned, a generation of further psychological harm and social exclusion loomed.

International Experience

International studies cited by Sevecke also show, according to the report, that the imprisonment of young people can increase the rate of reoffending if no therapeutic support is provided. Countries with a low age of criminal responsibility have therefore invested additionally in prevention and early-intervention services.

In Tyrol itself, the Hall hospital wants to expand its prevention work and is planning, among other things, training for teachers and cooperation with youth welfare services. Whether these services will be sufficient to meet the growing number of burdened children and adolescents remains an open question for now.