8 THE PARLIAMENTARY OMBUDSMEN’S INSPEC TIONS OF REMAND PRISONS 2015–2019 Branch and other association remand prisons (for example, Salberga, Storboda and Ystad) shows, in my opinion, the need for remand prisons that receive inmates without restrictions to have premises intended for association between inmates.”28 Inspections of remand prisons in spring 2019 Due to the strained situation regarding occupancy, the Parliamentary Ombudsmen carried out a series of ten inspections. These were carried out at Kumla Prison (National Assessment Unit), Karlskrona police custody facility as well as remand prisons in Falun, Helsingborg (Berga Prison Branch), Kalmar, Karlskrona, Malmö, Nyköping, Trelleborg and Växjö. 8.6 Overcrowding in remand prisons In the Prison and Probation Service’s reporting back to the Parliamentary Ombudsmen in June 2018, it emerged that, at that time, there was a strained situation regarding available space in the country’s remand prisons. According to the Prison and Probation Service, this meant that the agency had continuous difficulties in meeting the demand for association places.29 The situation soon worsened and, during the winter and early spring 2019, se- veral remand prisons had an occupancy rate of over 100 per cent.30 In spring 2019, the Parliamentary Ombudsmen conducted a series of ten inspections. The majority of the inspections concerned the Prison and Probation Service’s remand prisons, which, in connection with the inspections, were asked to provide details regarding the occupancy rate on a number of dates. The data are shown in Table 5. Table 5 Occupancy rates at specific remand prisons in spring 2019 Remand prison 8 March 15 March 22 March 29 March 5 April 12 April 19 April Falun 100 %*) 97 % 88 % 97 % N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. 113 % 116 % 109 % Kalmar 108 % 94 % 97 % 88 % N.A. N.A. N.A. Karlskrona 104 % 109 % 104 % 100 % N.A. N.A. N.A. Malmö 97 % 90 % 100 % 99 % N.A. N.A. N.A. Nyköping 100 % 106 % 103 % 97 % N.A. N.A. N.A. Trelleborg 97 % 112 % 100 % 91 % N.A. N.A. N.A. Växjö 100 % 100 % 104 % N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. Helsingborg** ) *) The occupancy rate is stated as a percentage. At 100 per cent, all the remand prison’s regular places are fully occupied. At a figure that exceeds 100 per cent, inmates either share a cell or are placed in rooms other than a regular cell. **) Berga Remand Prison Branch. Information taken from the Parliamentary Ombudsmen’s report, dnr O 19-2019. 28 See the Parliamentary Ombudsmen’s Report dnr O 39-2019 p. 11. 29 See the Parliamentary Ombudsmen 2018/19 p. 41. 30 See the Parliamentary Ombudsmen’s dnr O 19-2019. – 52 –