The government wants stricter control when lawyers visit clients in prison

Ullersmo PrisonUllersmo Prison. Photo: Norway Today Media

The government has proposed that prison attorneys go through security checks when visiting high security prisons.

 

As of today, this is something they only do in Maximum Security prisons.

The government’s bill states that “it is unfortunate that the correctional institution can not order a lawyer or public authority representatives to pass through a metal detector in higher level of security prison, for example”.

Both the Law and the Legal Society are opposed of the proposal, writes the Advokatbladet. The law association believes the proposal represents an intervention in the defender’s free access to his client and that the Ministry of Justice’s reasoning is insufficient.

The Association’s consultation statement states that there is also no empirical evidence that the lawyers are not trusted and have misused confidence in today’s order.

The Ministry emphasizes, in turn, that the proposal is in line with the corresponding control system in some courts, and in line with developments elsewhere in society.

 

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today