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Norway

Capital city — Oslo

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Panorama

Latest updates

Budget of the prison service

551,941,221

dollars - 5 025 231 000 NOK[^budget].

i
2019
/ Budget Estimates 2019, JD

  • The government allocated an additional 3.5 million euros to the prison service’s 2024 budget for extra staff so as to prevent the solitary confinement of prisoners.

    i
    04/12/2023
    / FriFagbevegelse

  • The prison service must reduce spending by 15 to 17.5 million euros this year. Froland Prison in particular must reduce spending by 7 million euros in the next five years. This is troubling news for management and prisoners alike, who worry that reduced numbers of personnel will impact reintegration or lead to increased violence and suicides.

    i
    25/10/2023
    / NRK

Psychologists or psychiatrists treat persons with mental illnesses. Prison staff also receive training.
Inmates may request a transfer to a psychiatric facility. The final decision is determined by the facility’s head and doctor, and the head of the receiving facility.

  • The Parliamentary Ombudsman at Bredtveit Prison notes in a report the lack of resources to safeguard prisoners’ mental health. This situation also harms the prison staff’s physical and mental health.

    i
    26/06/2023
    / Forskersonen.no

Prisoners in solitary confinement in an ordinary cell or under maximum security are allowed one hour of exercise in the open air or in a gym every day.

  • Prisoners in solitary confinement at Oslo prison spend an average of 19.3 hours in their cells, according to the facility’s director. However, the prisoners assert that the average is higher, estimating it at around 21 hours per day.

    i
    09/10/2023
    / Dagsavisen

Access to the showers is restricted when they are communal and outside the cells.

  • Prisoners at Oslo prison report insufficient showering time. Within this facility, as many as 27 men have to share a single shower situated in the communal area of the wing.

    i
    09/10/2023
    / Dagsavisen

A person found criminally irresponsible cannot be convicted.
Psychiatric hospitalisation under duress or for a severe mental illness is subject to conditions. Some prisoners, who are eligible for these conditions, serve their sentences in solitary confinement.

  • Nine out of ten prisoners in Norwegian prisons show signs of mental disorders. Norway also ranks first in Europe in terms of the number of suicides among incarcerated individuals. The rise in mental health issues among prisoners can be attributed to their isolation.

    i
    24/08/2023
    / Advokatbladet

  • The proportion of imprisoned women experiencing mental disorders rose significantly between 2010 and 2019.

    i
    19/06/2023
    / Sivilombudet

The prison staff is represented by (a) union(s)

yes

There are two unions representing correctional staff:

  1. The NFF (Norsk Fengsels- og Friomsorgsforbund): Norwegian Prison and Probation Officer’s’ Union, 3 500 members. The NFF is part of LO, the largest of the Norwegian trade union centres (930,000 members).

  2. The KY (Kriminalomsorgens yrkesforbund): Professional Federation of the Norwegian Correctional Service, 1 700 members.

  • One out of every ten guards displays symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Roughly half are showing signs of burnout, and one in ten struggles with depression or depressive symptoms.

    i
    24/08/2023
    / Advokatbladet

Number of prison guards (FTE)

2,845

i
03/2021
/ Council of Europe, SPACE I – Rapport 2021, p. 90, table 19.

  • Hustad prison faces a staff shortage as personnel resign over the demanding working conditions and long hours.

    i
    04/07/2023
    / FriFagbevegelse

Individual acts of protest are recorded

-

Solitary confinement takes place, depending on its nature, in an ordinary or special cell.

Solitary confinement by decision of the prison authorities (Enforcement of Sentences Act, sections 37 and 40) or by order of the court is carried out in an ordinary cell. The latter is often equipped with a sanitary block (shower and WC), furnished with a bed, table, chair and wardrobe, and has a usually barred window.

Solitary confinement in a special security cell (Enforcement of Sentences Act, section 38) is carried out in a cell without furniture. Personal clothing is wholly or partly removed. The prisoner is sometimes left naked or fitted in tear-proof safety clothing. The prisoner may be restrained in bed. These cells normally have no windows.

Special high-security isolation is carried out in a specific part of the facility. The living conditions are generally adequate (close to those encountered in ordinary cells). The security arrangements are very strict. Prisoners have no contact with each other and contact with staff is limited. Handcuffs, shackles and restraint belts are sometimes used.

  • “Safety” cells include one plastic mattress and a toilet on the floor. Food and water are pushed through a flap near the floor. Prisoners cannot wash themselves. Prisoners and staff communicate from opposite sides of flaps or plexiglass.

    i
    19/06/2023
    / Sivilombudet

The prison service provides food that respects special dietary needs

yes

The alternative meal options are based on religion, philosophy and any medical requirements. Prison inmates may ask the staff about the ingredients used in the dishes.

  • Two prisoners appealed to the regional office of the prison service to obtain kosher food at Kongsvinger prison. The Norwegian correctional service rejected their request. Basic food is supplied to them so they can prepare their own meals and respect kosher standards.

    i
    22/03/2023
    / CNE News

There is an effective separation between men and women

yes

Women prisoners participate in cross-gendered recreational, training and work activities in facilities that also accommodate men.

  • Men and women are not properly separated at Ullersmo prison. The women are subjected to sexist remarks and behaviours from male prisoners. The women were not able to use the fitness centre or the prison yard without running into male prisoners.

    i
    19/06/2023
    / Sivilombudet

Women prisoners are housed in facilities, blocks or cells exclusively for women.
There are five dedicated facilities (from 13 to 64 places) and eight that house men and have blocks/cells reserved for women (from 4 to 13 places). Two of the dedicated facilities, Bredveit and Kragerø, are classified as maximum security.

  • The parliamentary ombudsman judged that prison conditions for women were poorer at Bredtveit prison and detention centre than the conditions for men.

    i
    19/06/2023
    / Sivilombudet

  • The high-security wing of Bergen prison was shut down, and 12 female prisoners were transferred to Skien prison. Skien prison has been converted into a women’s prison, set to accommodate prisoners from across the country. This move comes in the wake of a critical report by the Ombudsman on the conditions at Bredtveit prison in Oslo.

    i
    23/03/2023
    / Asane Tidende

  • Several urgent measures are underway to improve prison conditions for women. The Directorate of Norwegian Correctional Service (KDI) has announced that spaces allocated to women in men’s prisons will be phased out and that Skien prison will be repurposed as a facility exclusively for women.

    i
    2023
    / Frifagbevegelse

Number of deaths attributed to suicide

2

i
2020
/ Conseil de l’Europe, SPACE I – Rapport 2021, p. 118, table 28.

  • A woman in poor mental health died by suicide on 11 May 2023 at Bredtveit prison.

    i
    14/05/2023
    / BradFordToday

  • A prisoner took his own life in January 2023 at Ringerike prison, just days after being admitted. The risk of suicide is particularly high immediately following incarceration.

    i
    18/01/2023
    / VG

  • A woman took her own life in the common areas of Bredtveit prison. A crisis response team was set up to assist the other prisoners.

    i
    15/03/2023
    / VG

Some prison facilities, units or cells implement high-security measures

yes

Closed facilities have different levels of security. Prisoners in secure detention (forvaring) are placed in very high security cells in the special units. The units housing remand prisoners are equipped with reinforced security features. Detox units, however, have less security measures.

Special cells, known as “security cells”, are intended for prisoners whose behaviour is considered particularly aggressive. The prison governor determines when this type of temporary placement is necessary. Prisoners considered dangerous to themselves are subject to hourly surveillance rounds. The governor reports placement in this type of cell to the regional administration when it exceeds more than three days. The security cells are not necessarily located in a special area.

Some facilities have security cells with dry toilets. These are used in cases of serious suspicion of drug trafficking or drug use. The dry toilets make it possible to detect the possible presence of concealed and ingested narcotic products. Placement in this type of facility usually lasts three days and facilitates stool analysis after digestion.

The mortality rate after release from prison is higher among prisoners who had been held in high-security prisons, explain researchers from the University of Oslo in 2022. They note that in these facilities, prisoners are more likely to suffer from mental health disorders and spend more time in their cells and less time participating in activities. When they are released, they have a higher risk of suicide, cancer and cardiovascular disease.

  • Two dogs, trained to detect narcotics, have been approved for work in the facilities in the Eastern and Northern regions.

    i
    05/05/2023
    / Kriminalomsorgen

Correctional facilities are subject to external oversight mechanisms, the supervisory boards (Tilsynsrådene). There is one supervisory board per facility.

  • The supervisory body for elderly people in prison will be eliminated with effect from 1 July. One ombudsman will now cover all prisoners.

    i
    25/05/2023
    / Vol.no