A APPENDIX OFFICIAL LETTER Date 7/4/2020 Sid Dnr O 12-2020 Questions to inmates in prison about the consequences of the spread of the coronavirus The Swedish Parliamentary Ombudsmen (abbreviated JO) monitor how authorities, courts and civil servants comply with laws and other statutes. The Ombudsmen are also tasked with ensuring the prevention of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. That means, amongst other things, that the Ombudsmen on a regular basis shall visit places where persons are deprived of their liberty. The coronavirus and the Prison and Probation Service (Kriminalvården) The Prison and Probation service decided on 12 March 2020 to introduce temporary restrictions for inmates in remand prisons (häkten) and prisons (anstalter) to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. 1 The restrictions cover, amongst other things, visits and temporary leave (permission). The Ombudsman responsible for prisons has decided to investigate how persons deprived of their liberty are affected by the way the Prison and Probation Service is handling the ongoing spread of the coronavirus. For that reason, it is very important that the Ombudsman get information directly from inmates. However, because of the spread of the virus, the Ombudsman is not able to visit prisons and remand prisons for the time being. That means that the Ombudsman and her staff cannot meet inmates in prisons face-to-face. This is the reason we have chosen to conduct a survey. What the Ombudsman would want from you We are grateful if you take the time to respond to the questions in the survey. It is voluntary to participate. Your response is very useful to ensure that the Ombudsman will learn what the situation is like for persons who are deprived of their liberty. 1 The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 cause the flu-like infectious disease COVID-19. The past weeks, the coronavirus has been spreading rapidly through Sweden and many other countries. Most people who are infected with the virus only get mild symptoms. Riksdagens ombudsmän Box 16327 103 26 Stockholm Besök: Västra Trädgårdsgatan 4 A E-post: Telefon: Texttelefon: Fax: justitieombudsmannen@jo.se 08-786 40 00 020-600 600 08-21 65 58 – 68 – www.jo.se 1 (8)