BackSweden has received international criticism for a long time due to inmates’ conditions in Swedish remand prisons. The criticism concerns primarily the fact that inmates with restrictions are put in isolation and thus put in a situation that may risk affecting their mental and physical health.
The Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman has since 2017 examined cases of inmates in remand prisons put in isolation. In the decision, the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman states that isolation is at risk of affecting not only detainees with restrictions, but also detainees who have a legal right to stay together with other inmates during the daytime. Pursuant to the Prison and Probation Service own surveys in 2018; 83 percent of inmates with restrictions and 33 percent of inmates with the right to stay together with others were put in isolation. In the decision the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman holds
- that the Prison and Probation Service’s remand prions lack of common areas and staff members to implement inmates’ right to be with others. The Prison and Probation Service receives very severe criticism for the continuing lack of resources in this area
- that she is very critical towards the fact that the Prison and Probation Service has not put more efforts into measures to prevent isolation
- that it is very urgent that the Prison and Probation Service introduce a system to prevent that inmates are put in isolation
In the decision, the Chief Executive also raises the question of the need for a review of, among other things, the Detention Act in order to clarify the rights of inmates and to prevent isolation.
Source: The Swedish Parliamentary Ombudsmen
