theme for 2015: female deprivation of liberty
stated by the Parliamentary Ombudsmen, the investigation shows that these
inmates and their accompanying children are not attended to in a clear and
uniform manner by the Prison and Probation Service when it comes to planning, placements and executing sentences. The fact that the authority lacks
coordinated procedures and that prisons deal with the handling of these
inmates through temporary solutions alongside their ordinary operation, is
a severe failure. In order to address this problem, the Prison and Probation
Service should, in the opinion of the Parliamentary Ombudsmen, take the
following measures:
•
introduce procedures to find suitable placements for women who has an
infant child or is pregnant
•
introduce procedures, when it is relevant, to request a statement from the
Social Welfare Board during the placement investigation. The placement
section should also work closely with the prisons so that the matter of
accompanying children can be dealt with already in connection with the
placement decision
•
consider setting up adapted places for women inmates with accompanying children at special institutions where both the inmates’ and the
children’s needs can be better accommodated
•
introduce procedures for prisons to administrate a plan, in consultation with the maternity clinic, in good time before an inmate’s estimated
delivery date. The inmate should be informed that the prison has detailed
plans for what will happen once the childbirth commences and ensure
that she receives as much information as possible about the plans
•
introduce childminding to facilitate for female inmates to take part in
activities and programs to prevent recidivism
•
take measures so that the authority can deal with situations where male
inmates are placed in an institution with their children.7
Security assessments in connection to transport to
healthcare facilities
In connection to the inspection of Hinseberg prison, details emerged that
gave grounds for investigating the Prison and Probation Service’s security assessments in connection to transports to healthcare facilities. Details had also
emerged that the use of shackles during transport meant that inmates had
not been able to make toilet visits on their own and that one pregnant inmate
had been provided with handcuffs and a waist shackle in connection with a
transport to give birth.
In its decision, the Parliamentary Ombudsmen states that the Hinseberg
7 JO 2018/19 p. 184, Ref. no. 1089-2016.
49
The fact that the authority lacks
coordinated procedures, and
that the institutions deal with the
handling of pregnant inmates and
inmates with children, through
temporary solutions, alongside
their ordinary operation, is a severe failure.
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