Locked away within Stuttgart’s northernmost district of Stammheim sits the JVA Stuttgart. This isn’t just any prison. It’s the largest correctional facility in Baden-Württemberg, a state with seventeen prisons and nineteen satellite facilities. The JVA Stuttgart holds a significant place in German history, particularly for its role during the tumultuous 1970s. The trials of the Red Army Faction (RAF) took place here, transforming this place into a symbol of the era’s tensions.
The JVA Stuttgart opened its gates in 1964. Its construction, spanning from 1960 to 1963, incorporated the most advanced security features of the time, including two cell blocks. The prison replaced the outdated Urbanstrasse prison in Stuttgart’s city center, which dated back to 1872. The JVA Stuttgart also housed leading members of the RAF in its high-security wing. A specially constructed multipurpose building adjacent to the prison housed the actual trials. To prevent potential helicopter escapes, the building and exercise yard were covered with steel nets. The construction of this addition cost 12 million Deutschmarks.
In later years, the seventh floor transformed. It shifted from a high-security unit to a youth prison, primarily for young foreign offenders. Today, the JVA Stuttgart’s mandate is clear. It houses men in closed custody with sentences ranging from short-term to over a year and three months, including those in pre-trial detention and serving disciplinary sentences. The JVA Stuttgart underwent significant renovations and expansions over the years. A new cell block added in 2005 provided space for 128 inmates. In 2009, a new main gate opened as the central access point, following renovations to the entrance area that began in 2006. A major construction project launched in 2012 aimed to replace the old high-security building with five new cell blocks connected to the existing building 3. Despite delays caused by water damage and contractor insolvencies, the new buildings finally opened in October 2017, providing space for 559 inmates.
The JVA Stuttgart’s grounds cover 49,600 square meters, enclosed by a fence and wall. The facility comprises three main cell blocks. The largest, known as Building 1, along with Building 2 and the newer Buildings 3 to 5, house the prison population. In October 2018, an average of 768 prisoners resided within these walls. As of 2019, the JVA Stuttgart has a capacity of 787 inmates, mostly male. Nine spots are reserved for women in transit. The approximately 600 cells accommodate inmates either individually or in groups of two to four. The prison’s work program employs roughly 250 inmates in various workshops, covering a production area of 950 square meters. The JVA Stuttgart continues to evolve. There are plans to relocate the nearby Hohenasperg prison hospital to the JVA Stuttgart grounds. This will involve demolishing the historically significant multipurpose building, a move approved by the historical preservation authorities in June 2022. This project is estimated to cost around 25 million euros.