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opcat inspections and follow-up ombudsman decisions
windows of their living quarters, to protect inmates’ integrity and prevent
them looking into other agencies’ premises.
Serious criticism of the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, Jönköping Remand
Prison, for shortcomings in the treatment of an inmate etc. ref. no. 6413-2014,
decision of 21 April 2015
At the end of October 2013, the Prison and Probation Service requested that
the police service transport an elderly woman to a prison to serve a short
term of imprisonment. The request was carried out by the police service on
28 August 2014 and the convicted person was brought by the police to Jönköping Remand Prison. Upon arrival at the remand prison, she was put under
surveillance due to her advanced age and her “uncertain” state of health. The
remand prison took no further action to investigate her condition, for example having her examined by medical personnel. She did not meet with the
remand prison nurse until the day after her arrival and she was transported
to Ystad Prison later that day. On 30 August, an on-call physician noted that
the inmate was confused and dehydrated, and that she needed to be taken to
hospital immediately.
The Parliamentary Ombudsman’s decision directs serious criticism at Jönköping Remand Prison for not giving the inmate access to the healthcare she
needed, and for deciding that she would be transported to Ystad Prison in
spite of her poor health. The remand prison is also criticised for not informing the Prison and Probation Service’s placement unit of the inmate’s condition, which resulted in the prison not being able to prepare for her arrival and
to a delay in finding a more suitable placement. Ystad Prison is also criticised
for having delayed alerting the on-call physician, even though the inmate was
in such a poor condition that she was found on the floor of her living quarters.
The Parliamentary Ombudsman decision also contains statements regarding
the Prison and Probation Service’s procedures for requesting the assistance of
the police service to transport convicted persons to prison.
Criticism of the National Board of Institutional Care’s LVM homes Runnagården
and Renforsen for the homes’ earlier handling of postcards suspected of being
“laced” with drugs ref. no. 7236-2014, decision of 10 December 2015
During inspections of two LVM homes, the Parliamentary Ombudsman
noted that, at that time, the homes had procedures that involved postcards
addressed to inmates being confiscated if they were suspected of being “laced”
with drugs, and that they were given to the individual when he or she was
discharged from the home. These procedures have now been changed.
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