Overview
- The North Rhine‑Westphalia Justice Ministry has opened a pilot that will install secured 'digital social rooms' in three prisons to let inmates use restricted internet under constant staff supervision.
- Jails selected for the pilot are JVA Geldern, JVA Rheinbach and JVA Essen where locked devices will allow only a small set of approved websites.
- Officials say the service will let inmates maintain outside contacts, apply for services online, use education and qualification offers, and overcome language barriers with translation tools.
- The ministry argues limited online access will improve security by reducing the need to transport prisoners to external offices and by lowering incoming letter traffic that has been used to smuggle synthetic drugs.
- The program is explicitly a time‑limited pilot led by Justice Minister Benjamin Limbach’s ministry and will be evaluated before any wider rollout.