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CRIME

Number of inmates in Swiss prisons has risen 50 per cent in 30 years

The number of inmates in Swiss prisons has ballooned in recent years.

Published: 5 February 2019 09:42 CET
Number of inmates in Swiss prisons has risen 50 per cent in 30 years
Photo: pjcross/Depositphotos

While the number of prisons has fallen by 37 per cent since 1988, the number of prisoners has risen by more than 50 per cent since the late 1980s, according to data released on February 5th by Switzerland's Federal Statistics Office (FSO).

The number of inmates in Swiss prisons has risen sharply in the last three decades from 4,621 in 1988 to 6,907 in 2017. This translates as 82 people in prison for each 100,000, compared with 70 in 1988. 

Despite the increase in prisoners, the number of correctional facilities has fallen sharply since 1988 from 152 to 106. This is mainly because smaller prisons have been closed and prisoners are increasingly incarcerated in larger correctional facilities. 

Prisons have become exponentially larger in the last 30 years. In 1988, only 9 per cent of incarceration centres could hold more than 100 prisoners. Today, 25 per cent of all prisons have more than 100 inmates.

Nearly a third of all prisoners in 2017 were awaiting trial. Swiss nationals represent 24 per cent of all prisoners, a sharp decline in the last 30 years. Foreign nationals resident in Switzerland constitute 31 per cent of the total prison population. The majority, 45 per cent, is made up of foreign nationals who are not resident in Switzerland.

The number of foreign nationals imprisoned in Switzerland has risen sharply in the last 30 years. 

Conditions in Swiss prisons vary, although one Swiss pensioner said he “really enjoyed the week” in one early last year. The pensioner opted for a brief period of imprisonment rather than a fine for a traffic offence. 

“I am retired and had time to go to the slammer. My family were against the idea, but I wanted to enjoy the luxury,” he told regional daily the Frauenfelder Nachrichten, which used a false name for the prisoner.

“I really enjoyed the week. The meals always came on time and the service was super,” he said, complaining only that the facility had been a little “stingy” with the coffee.

READ MORE: Swiss pensioner praises 'super service' at local prison

 

 

 

 

For members

CRIME

‘Your permit is invalid’: Foreigners in Switzerland warned to avoid new scam

Scores of foreign residents have received an email recently telling them their residency rights in Switzerland have been revoked.

Published: 26 April 2024 11:17 CEST
Updated: 2 May 2024 15:04 CEST
'Your permit is invalid': Foreigners in Switzerland warned to avoid new scam

A number of foreign nationals, especially in the German-speaking part of the country, have received an official-looking letter, purportedly from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) informing them that the Free Movement of People agreement between Switzerland and the EU has been nullified, and therefore “your residence permit is no longer valid.”

Faced with enquiries from concerned recipients, SEM responded that the letter is fake, advising recipients to ignore it and, above all, not to click on the QR code on the top.

“Fake letters from the SEM have been circulating since the beginning of this week,” the immigration authority said on its website as well as on X (formerly Twitter).  

“The letter has no impact on the recipient’s  residence status,” SEM added.

Fake jobs, real threats

However, this is only the latest scam perpetrated in the name of SEM.

There have been others in the past.

For instance, many foreigners have also received emails from addresses swissimmigration@consultant or eu_immigration@consultant, that pretend to be the Swiss immigration authority.

“In most cases, a fictitious job in the hotel industry is offered, with the senders demanding payment of 300 to 1,000 euros for a permit in Switzerland and for health and accident insurance,” SEM reported.

The first clue that this email doesn’t come from  SEM, which is part of Switzerland’s government, is that it is asking for payment in euros. If the scammers were smarter, they’d demand Swiss francs.

“These e-mails do not come from the SEM and should be considered as an attempt at fraud,” the agency said. 

Extortion attempt

And a few years ago, a number of foreigners received emails coming allegedly from SEM, Swiss border control authorities, or even the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol).

They threatened to revoke the victim’s residence permit or even expel them from the country altogether if they didn’t pay a certain sum of money into an anonymous account.

Needless to say, no government authority would ever resort to blackmail or demand payment for such ‘services’.

So a good rule to remember (for foreigners and Swiss alike) is that if threats and pressure are involved, letters / emails / phone calls ( WhatsUp messages are more than likely scams.
 
READ ALSO: The common scams foreigners in Switzerland need to be aware of 

Don’t respond

SEM as well as police urge everyone contacted by scammers, by whatever means to:

  • Ignore these messages by hanging up the phone and / or deleting emails, moving them to the Spam folder
  • Never give out your credit card number or bank account information to people you don’t know
  • If you did give your card number, contact your credit card company immediately to have the card blocked. Likewise, if you gave out your banking details, get in touch with your bank.
  • In the event of threats of extortion attempts, consider filing a criminal complaint. You can search for police stations in your area on the Police website. 
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