The Prison as a Waiting Place

The Collini Case

Collini’s remand detention frames the case as a prolonged wait for judgment, while his restrained conduct unsettles those around him.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Number in Custody A Number in Custody from "The Collini Case". A Number in Custody Institutional routine Collini is registered and assigned a cell in Moabit Remand Prison.

A Number in Custody from "The Collini Case". A Number in Custody Institutional routine Collini is registered and assigned a cell in Moabit Remand Prison.

A Number in Custody Institutional routine Collini is registered and assigned a cell in Moabit Remand Prison. The building’s lists and procedures turn a gigantic individual into a prisoner number. Waiting begins He is held before trial while investigators assemble a case. The prison’s ordinary routines contrast with the exceptional violence that brought him there.

A Short First Interview A Short First Interview from "The Collini Case". A Short First Interview Necessary questions Leinen asks whether Collini wants him to continue and presses for a motive.

A Short First Interview from "The Collini Case". A Short First Interview Necessary questions Leinen asks whether Collini wants him to continue and presses for a motive.

A Short First Interview Necessary questions Leinen asks whether Collini wants him to continue and presses for a motive. Collini says he did the killing but will not discuss why. A limited agreement He agrees to confess to the act, not to explain it. Their meeting ends quickly, leaving the lawyer to carry a case whose essential story remains hidden.

A Routine of Visits A Routine of Visits from "The Collini Case". A Routine of Visits Steady contact Leinen visits Collini regularly, but the defendant makes no requests and gives no account of his motive.

A Routine of Visits from "The Collini Case". A Routine of Visits Steady contact Leinen visits Collini regularly, but the defendant makes no requests and gives no account of his motive.

A Routine of Visits Steady contact Leinen visits Collini regularly, but the defendant makes no requests and gives no account of his motive. He remains calm and courteous in the repeated meetings. A lawyer’s constraint The absence of new information tests Leinen’s ability to prepare a defense. He must distinguish the client’s silence from a lack of care or humanity.

The Visit After Testimony The Visit After Testimony from "The Collini Case". The Visit After Testimony A changed atmosphere After Leinen uncovers the family history, he spends long hours with Collini in prison.

The Visit After Testimony from "The Collini Case". The Visit After Testimony A changed atmosphere After Leinen uncovers the family history, he spends long hours with Collini in prison.

The Visit After Testimony A changed atmosphere After Leinen uncovers the family history, he spends long hours with Collini in prison. The lawyer prepares a statement that will make the buried past public. Shared exhaustion The case has moved beyond the bare admission of guilt, but neither man can make the history easy to bear. The prison visit becomes preparation for a painful act of testimony.

The Cell’s Final Night The Cell’s Final Night from "The Collini Case". The Cell’s Final Night Death in custody Collini dies by suicide in his cell before the hearing resumes.

The Cell’s Final Night from "The Collini Case". The Cell’s Final Night Death in custody Collini dies by suicide in his cell before the hearing resumes.

The Cell’s Final Night Death in custody Collini dies by suicide in his cell before the hearing resumes. The court announces that his death occurred during the night. Waiting ends without judgment The prison has held him for the case, but the legal process ends without a verdict. His death transforms remand from temporary custody into the final setting of his story.

After the remand warrant is issued

The first visit from Leinen

Once a week during the pretrial months

The week before the resumed trial

The night before the trial was to resume