A 289-kilogram man in Austria, dubbed the country’s heaviest inmate, has sparked outrage in the European country due to the unusually high cost of supporting him on taxpayer money.
The 29-year-old man, who weighs nearly 300 kilos, was arrested after a search of his home in Vienna, where police discovered large quantities of drugs, including 45 kilos of cannabis, two kilos of cocaine, almost two kilos of amphetamines, and more than 2,000 ecstasy tablets. He was initially put into Vienna’s Josefstadt prison, but only for a few days, because he almost broke the bed with his weight and had to be transferred to Korneuburg Prison, in a town located about 15 kilometers north of the capital. Here, the obese inmate has a specially welded, ultra-strong bed and enjoys 24-hour specialized care from external nurses. All this comes at an exorbitant cost.
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“Accommodation in a hospital’s specially secured unit, guarded by two officers, was not an option due to the high costs,” the Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung reported, but even so, caring for Austria’s heaviest prisoner can reach 1,800 euros ($2090) per day, compared to around 180 euros (209) for a “normal” inmate.
Interestingly, the costs of dealing with a 289-kilogram inmate could be much higher. For example, the specialized transport of the detainee easily costs 5,000 euros ($5,800) per trip, so the interrogations of the suspect take place exclusively by video link to save money. Even so, the costs associated with his incarceration have ignited a heated debate in Austrian society.
“He costs ten times more than a ‘normal’ inmate,” Austrian media reported. “While citizens outside prison often have to wait months for a doctor’s appointment, it seems there are funds available for serious criminals.”
