Prisons

US President Joe Biden signed an executive order directing the Justice Department not to renew contracts with privately operated correctional facilities. The move is part of a series of actions Biden wants to take to address structural racism and promote equal treatment for all U.S. citizens. The White House pointed out that among the more than two million prisoners currently in the U.S., a disproportionate number are members of minority groups.

Following a flight attempt from the prison "Roter Ochse" by the shooter from Halle, the legal committee of the Magdeburg state parliament announced that an independent panel of experts should investigate the security in the prison. The deputy head of the institution is accused of having independently relaxed the strict security requirements of the Ministry of Justice.

At the end of May, the 28-year-old suspected terrorist shooter had managed to overcome a fence more than three meters high when he had free access inside the prison walls but then failed at the doors.