Justice Minister Elisabeth Margue sworn in Laurent Kocks as the new director of the juvenile detention center last Friday. His term of office is for seven years and is renewable. It applies retroactively from December 1, 2025.
Justice Minister Elisabeth Margue and Laurent Kocks, director of the juvenile detention center Photo: MJUST
In addition, the Government Council confirmed Serge Legil, previously Director of the Prison Administration, as Director General on Wednesday as part of the reform of the prison administration. The Council also appointed Caroline Lieffrig, previously Deputy Director, as Deputy Director General, effective March 17, 2026.
The newly appointed responsible persons are also confronted with the challenges in the prisons. The “Unité de Sécurité” (Unisec) juvenile detention center in Dreiborn struggles primarily with overcrowding. For this reason, minors who have committed crimes are repeatedly housed in the prison in Schrassig – although the institution is actually intended for adults. There are currently twelve places for young people at Unisec.
Incidents of violence against staff also occur again and again in Luxembourg’s prisons. The ministry registered a total of 80 attacks on prison officers in the past five years – 73 of them in the prison in Schrassig and seven more in Givenich. This emerges from Justice Minister Margue’s response to a parliamentary question from LSAP MPs Yves Cruchten and Ben Polidori. Since the opening of the “Uerschterhaff” correctional facility in December 2022, 28 incidents against officials have been recorded there. (read)
