Ombudsman criticizes Drammen prison

Prison.Illustration. Prison.Photo: pixabay.com

The conditions of detention in Drammen prison violates Norwegian and international guidelines, says the Ombudsman.

 

In an audit report that was made in May, news came that among other things that the inmates have to use a bucket in the cell as a toilet at night, and even empty the day after.

This is because the prison did not have enough manpower to follow prisoners to the toilet at night, according to NRK news.

This was also pointed out by the Ombudsman during a previous visit to the prison in 2013.

– Until toilets are installed in all cells, prisoners should be given the opportunity to use the restrooms when needed regardless of time of day, says Ombudsman Aage Thor Falkanger.

Prison Director at Drammen prison Runar Jenserud, say they are aware of the situation, and says it’s all about priorities and resources.

– We have an annual allocation of funds and this has been an issue for several years.

He says it now looks like they are heading towards a solution, and that toilet conditions will be changed significantly during 2017.

In a Parliamentary Ombudsman’s report it also shows that female inmates got a lot of unwanted attention from male prisoners.

– Female inmates could be subject to pressure and intimidation that makes coercion and abuse easy and are not detected by the employees. This is in contravention of international and Norwegian policies, says Falkanger.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today