Rehabilitation centre criticised in therapist murder case

The Champ-Dollon prison complex in Geneva, where the inmate was kept. Keystone

A parliamentary inquiry in Geneva into the circumstances surrounding the murder of a prison social therapist has found certain flaws in the administration of the rehabilitation centre where she worked. It stopped short of appointing specific blame.

The report released on Wednesday was written over three years, after convicted rapist Fabrice A. slit the throat of social worker Adeline M. during a horse-riding excursion in 2013.

At the time, the case raised various questions about security in centres that prepare prisoners for a return to society and the protection afforded social workers such as Adeline M.

+ More on the trial of Fabrice A. for the murder of his social therapist

In its report, however, the commission of enquiry does not establish individual responsibility. Rather, it points to the more general problem that although the Pâquerette centre was housed within the Champ-Dollon prison, over time it became disconnected from the rest of the administration around it.

Despite its location, the centre was managed by the University Hospitals Geneva, the report noted. Nobody ever questioned the relevance or appropriateness of such a structure.

The situation led to a constant struggle between two poles of influence: on the one hand, the prison system and its respect for strict security rules; on the other, the hospital set-up and its espousal of less rigid surveillance measures.

Certain incidents, as well as worries regarding accompanied excursions, raised warning signals that could have predicted the murder in 2013, said report author Thomas Bläsi. However, these warning voices were ignored.

Following the murder, another formal investigation found that Fabrice A. should not have been allowed to leave the rehabilitation centre on the day in question. As a result, new rules were put in place that require the prison’s security director to approve every trip outside the prison by a dangerous inmate.