6 RESTRIC TIONS ON VISITS AND LEAVE 6.4 Compensatory measures At the final dialogue meeting that the Parliamentary Ombudsman had with the management of the Prison and Probation Service, it emerged that the agency would analyse the consequences of the restrictions on visits and leave. Parliamentary Ombudsman Katarina Påhlsson stated that this was desirable, and she further stated that the Prison and Probation Service should immediately see whether it was possible to introduce further compensatory measures. In the opinion of the Parliamentary Ombudsman, the agency should also review whether the measures really have to be as far-reaching as they had hitherto been. With The Swedish Prison and this in mind, the Probation Service should Parliamentary Omreview the possibilities of budsman was of the view that the Prison introducing further comand Probation Servipensatory measures ce needed to evaluate whether the restrictions additionally have to include shorter leave beyond the prison confines. Thereafter, the Parliamentary Ombudsman stated the following:18 The Prison and Probation Service In connection with the Prison and Probation Service limiting inmates’ opportunities to receive visits and take leave, the agency decided to remove temporarily the fee for calls within the INTIK system. Initially, this applied to both domestic and foreign calls. After a while, the agency decided to charge half the fee for international calls. The questionnaires distributed by the Parliamentary Ombudsman of inmates showed that the measure with removed/reduced fees was appreciated. However, views were expressed that the limited access to INTIK telephones and telephone hours meant that the measure in some prisons did not have any major effect on inmates’ ability to have contact with, inter alia, relatives. In mid-May 2020, the Prison and Probation Service made permanent a pilot project which aimed at giving inmates the opportunity to communicate with their young children through video calls via tablets. According to the management of the Prison and Probation Service, each remand prison and prison would initially have ac“In my opinion, the Prison and Probation Service cess to one tablet, and in total the agency would procure should also investigate what possibilities it has for 300 tablets for this purpose. In the opinion of Parliamegranting visits where both inmate and visitor can ntary Ombudsman Katarina Påhlsson, this pilot project maintain a physical distance. This could include, for was positive and it showed that the Prison and Probation example, allowing visits outdoors or that visits are Service was actively working to find new ways to reduce carried out in rooms, where inmates and visitors are the negative consequences of the restrictions introduced separated from one another by a glass pane. The laton visits and leave for inmates. She noted that once the ter type of visit entails a significant restriction, but tablets were in place, it would mean a welcome relief for is, in my opinion, preferable to an inmate not being inmates. However, the number of tablets for inmates was able to receive any visits at all.” relatively limited, and the Parliamentary Ombudsman stated that conducting video calls was dependent on staff being in attendance. In the view of the Parliamentary 18 See the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s decision of 30 June 2020, ref. no. O 12Ombudsman, there was, therefore, a risk that inmates’ 2020. ability to use the tablets was severely limited. – 50 –