27 Selected topics from 2016 The conditions for women in prison in Norway In December 2016, the Parliamentary Ombudsman published its first thematic report under its OPCAT mandate. ‘Women in prison’ is a summary of the findings that concern female inmates from visits to high security prisons in the period 2014–2016. International research shows that prisons are often organised in accordance with the needs of male inmates, partly due to the low number of women in prison compared to men. This is reflected in prison architecture, security, the activities available and health services, among other things. In addition, an even higher percentage of women than men in prison come from disadvantaged backgrounds. They have more often been the victims of abuse in childhood, have extensive and untreated mental health problems and substance abuse problems. The differences in prison conditions for men and women is a challenge well-known to the Norwegian Correctional Service. In 2015, a cross-disciplinary working group prepared the report 'Equal conditions for women and men under the responsibility of the Correctional Service' on behalf of the Directorate of the Norwegian Correctional Service.¹ The report concluded that change must be made at multiple levels and in various fields before the conditions can be deemed equal for men and women under the responsibility of the Correctional Service. The Directorate of the Norwegian Correctional Service (KDI) has announced that the report will be followed up by a separate strategy for the conditions for women in prison. The Parliamentary Ombudsman’s thematic report addresses key issues relating to the conditions for women in prison, including the physical conditions, sense of security, activities, health services and contact with family. The report largely confirms that women in prison are a particularly vulnerable group. In many cases, they risk serving under worse conditions than men. 1 The Correctional Service (2015): Equal conditions for women and men under the responsibility of the Correctional Service (‘Likeverdige forhold for kvinner og menn under kriminalomsorgens ansvar’).