New members of the Joint Commission appointed
The 84th Conference of Ministers of Justice on 12 and 13 June 2013 appointed two new members for the Joint Commission to take up office as of the 1st July 2013:
Mr. Michael Thewalt, former prison governor and
Dr. Helmut Roos, former Director-General of Prison Service, Ministry of Justice of the State of Hessen
The nomination necessitated from the resignations of both former members, Ms. Schöner and Mr. Riess, from their offices on 30. April 2013.
The Ministers of Justice further aim to increase the number of honorary members to eight. Additional funds for this purpose shall be negotiated with the conference of ministers of the interior, as well as labour and social welfare.
The National Agency for the Prevention of Torture was established as the national preventive mechanism under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention Against Torture. It combines the Federal Agency and the Joint Commission of the States for the Prevention of Torture. Its primordial task is to conduct visits to places of detention, examine the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty and make recommendations.