Between 1933 and 1945, the prison held "Schutzhäftlinge" (prisoners in extra-legal protective custody) where they were interrogated (and in many cases, tortured) by the SA, before being moved to Hohnstein concentration camp.
From 1949 to 1989, Bautzen II was used as a prison; from 1956 by the Ministry for State Security ("Stasi") for political prisoners. Prisoners held there included the first Foreign Minister of the GDR, Georg Dertinger.