‘I question whether women and men are treated equally in Trondheim Prison’, says the Parliamentary Ombudsman in a comment to the report from a visit to the prison in March. ‘For example, women are not offered the same alcohol and drug treatment as men. During our visit, we also got the impression that female inmates are locked in their cells more frequently than men when there are too few staff members,’
The Parliamentary Ombudsman’s National Preventive Mechanism against Torture and Ill-treatment visited Trondheim Prison in March this year. A large number of inmates, health personnel and staff members were interviewed. The observations and recommendations from the visit have been summarised in a report which is now available. Trondheim Prison has the capacity to hold 194 inmates, divided between 155 high security places (the Nermarka section), 29 lower security places (the Leira section) and ten places in a day release unit (at Kongensgate 95). The National Preventive Mechanism’s (NPM) visit did not include the lower security section and the day release unit in Kongensgate.
‘Alcohol and drug problems expose the inmates to additional health risks and reinforce a number of other problems related to living conditions. The fact that the women are not offered the same treatment for drug or alcohol problems as the men is therefore a clear shortcoming in Trondheim Prison,’ says Aage Thor Falkanger.
Nor are the women allowed to use the exercise yard with sports facilities and therefore do not have any real opportunities for running or playing ball games. There were also indications that, during periods of low staffing in the prison, the women were more frequently locked in their cells during communal periods.
Missing doctor’s appointments
Several inmates complained that written requests for doctor’s appointments are not answered or go missing. In the experience of the prison health department, inmates regularly missed out on appointments with the specialist health service because the appointments were not followed up by the police or the prison.
Formal decisions not made
The NPM also found shortcomings in the registration of documents in connection with the use of security cells. This is a coercive measure that is implemented after a formal decision has been made, and grounds must be given for the decision. The supervision log for the security cells should clearly state when the stay in the security cells is concluded and where the inmate has been transferred.
‘When inmates are placed in security cells in Trondheim Prison, a formal decision should always be issued to inform the inmate about the legal grounds and reason for implementing this measure,’ says Aage Thor Falkanger. The security cells were used 33 times in Trondheim Prison in 2014, and had been used six times so far this year at the time of the NPM’s visit.
Inmates feel unsafe
Trondheim Prison has a high occupancy level; 96.3 per cent in 2014. The prison’s premises are also poorly adapted to modern requirements for the execution of sentences. The NPM noted that having a corridor with 20 inmates sharing a kitchen, combined with the fact that the presence of prison officers is too low, seems to be an unstable foundation for creating a safe and inclusive communal environment for the inmates. This can partly explain why several inmates feel unsafe. Among other things, fights over food, milk and cigarettes are reported.
‘The prison should, through the presence of prison officers, ensure that communal activities are organised in a way that is perceived as safe and inclusive for all inmates,’ says Aage Thor Falkanger.