the prison and probation service The surveillance camera in a segregation cell During the inspection of the remand prison in Gävle, the Parliamentary Ombudsmen’s employees noticed that a camera in the prison’s segregation cell was constantly switched on. Following the inspection, the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman stated that the Prison and Probation Service, in December 2017, was called upon to install technology that makes it possible to turn off the camera in the cell when such monitoring is deemed unnecessary. For this reason, the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman noted with some surprise that there had been no change in this regard. The Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman requested the Prison and Probation Service respond detailing the measures it will take to rectify this shortcoming. The agency was also asked to make an inventory of which prisons and remand prisons have camera-monitored cells and whether these cameras can be switched off. In a response to the Parliamentary Ombudsman, the agency announced that the remand prison in Gävle had introduced a routine which means that the camera is provided with a “hat” when no decision had been made to use camera surveillance. The staff who make decisions concerning camera surveillance had been informed of the importance of documenting whether an inmate should be held under camera surveillance or not. Written instructions were also being prepared. In a decision, the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman stated that the measures that the Prison and Probation Service had taken appeared to be adequate.39 The Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman also welcomed the fact that the Prison and Probation Service’s inventory shows that it is possible to turn off the surveillance cameras in situations where no decision has been made to use such a measure.40 4.4 Conclusions Of a total 28 OPCAT inspections in 2019, 13 inspections concerned the Prison and Probation Service’s prisons and remand prisons. In addition, there were five more inspections by the supervisory division. One of the reasons for the large proportion of OPCAT inspections in 2018 and 2019 devoted to the agency was its wide-ranging operations, another the thematic focus on the transportations of individuals deprived of their liberty. Another reason for the relatively high number of inspections is the Parliamentary Ombudsmen’s own-initiative inquiry regarding the occupancy situation in the prison and probation regime. During this year’s inspections, it has emerged that the Prison and Probation Service has had to take far-reaching measures to deal with the strained occupancy situation. In addition to closing certain remand prisons for new admissions of individuals deprived of their liberty, the agency has increased 39 See the Parliamentary Ombudsmen’s report p. 13 and 15, ref. no. 4675-2018. 40 See the Parliamentary Ombudsmen’s decision of 23 December 2019, ref. no. O 32-2019. 47