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Norway

Capital city — Oslo

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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.

  • Female prisoners were transferred to the Zulu East isolation section at Ullersmo Prison in 2023. This section also housed male prisoners during the same period. The women were subjected to sexualised comments and behaviours from male prisoners. They could not use the gymnasium or the prison’s large yard without male prisoners being present.

    i
    19/03/2024
    / Ombudsman (Sivilombudsmannen)

The national regulatory framework does not sufficiently consider the special situation of women. Pregnant women and mothers are an exception. Some women prisoners are still placed in cells without toilets1.

International standards state: “Hygiene products, including sanitary towels and tampons, shall be readily available and distributed free of charge to prison inmates”. The NPM confirms that Norwegian prisons are compliant with these requirements.2

  1. Sivilombudsmannen (Norwegian Parliamentary Ombudsman), “Women in Prison: a thematic report about the conditions for female prisoners in Norway”, 2017. p.17. ↩

  2. Ibid., p 22. ↩

  • Female prisoners claim to have been pressured by the Ministry of Health into allowing a male doctor examine them even though they preferred to be examined by female doctors. This pressure was also applied to individuals who had previously been exposed to sexual violence.

    i
    19/03/2024
    / Ombudsman (Sivilombudsmannen)

Prisoners in solitary confinement receive regular medical care

no

Medical care is provided when necessary. Doctors do not present at the facilities daily. Their presence is limited to a specific weekly schedule.

  • The Ombud (Norwegian NPM) observed that no document exists to monitor prisoners in isolation.

    i
    19/03/2024
    / Ombudsman (Sivilombudsmannen)

A medical file is opened upon admission

yes

  • The Ombud (Norwegian NPM) considers the collection of relevant, necessary medical information at Bredtveit Prison to be unsatisfactory and arbitrary.

    i
    19/03/2024
    / Ombudsman (Sivilombudsmannen)

Obtaining medicines differs according to the prescription. Some products, such as sleeping pills, are given to inmates in their cells. Drug replacement treatments are strictly monitored.

  • The Ombud (Norwegian NPM) believes that medicine at Bredtveit Prison is handled irresponsibly, which constitutes a risk for the safety of the prisoners who need it. Medicine is stored in the guardroom, unlocked. There is no log to record its distribution. This lack of organisation has resulted in risks of poisoning and incorrect treatment.

    i
    19/03/2024
    / Ombudsman (Sivilombudsmannen)

Number of prison guards (FTE)

2,691.2

i
31/01/2023
/ Council of Europe, SPACE I Report 2023, table 19.

Hustad prison faces a staff shortage in 2023. Personnel resign over the demanding working conditions and long hours.

  • The Ombud (Norwegian NPM) noted staff shortages in prisons. Unscheduled absences result in necessary measures for reintegration being cancelled, including preparation for active life, access to fresh air, human contact and meaningful activities. Several prisoners pointed out the constant staff turnover and the frequent use of substitute staff.

    i
    19/03/2024
    / Ombudsman (Sivilombudsmannen)

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.

  • Several prisoners reported that their mental health was negatively impacted by their proximity to prisoners who hurt themselves and suffered from mental disorders.

    i
    19/03/2024
    / Ombudsman parlementaire (Sivilombudsmannen)

Suicide prevention policies are implemented

yes

Suicide prevention policies are addressed during mandatory staff training. The admissions survey includes questions to help identify prisoners who are more likely to attempt suicide. Health care workers are advised.

Some facilities provide ongoing monitoring in the event of a suicide attempt or risk of suicide. The prisoner is placed in solitary confinement. Security measures are a last resort. Staff must implement non-security measures as a priority.

  • The Ombud (Norwegian NPM) observed that internal systems for detecting and monitoring the risks of self-harm and suicide in prison were lacking.

    i
    19/03/2024
    / Ombudsman (Sivilombudsmannen)

The prison service keeps record of incidents

yes

  • Recorded incidents of self-harm increased twentyfold between 2018 and 2022 at Bredtveit Prison. In 2022, 145 incidents of self-harm relating to 14 prisoners were logged.

    i
    19/03/2024
    / Ombudsman (Sivilombudsmannen)

Persons placed in solitary confinement may participate in activities or programmes. The number of activities allowed depends on the reason for the confinement, which may be partial or total (i.e. the prisoner may or may not be allowed to communicate with other inmates).
Persons in solitary confinement generally have access to the library and they may have a television in the cell. This is less often the case for remand prisoners placed in court-ordered solitary confinement.

  • The 2023 Annual Report of the Ombud (Norwegian NPM) revealed that prisoners placed in isolation at Ullersmo Prison were not offered sufficient activities.

    i
    19/03/2024
    / Ombudsman (Sivilombudsmannen)

Family ties are partially maintained during solitary confinement. Telephone calls may be restricted. Visits are, in most cases, authorized.
Prisoners who are isolated due to a court order are often denied telephone calls, visits and mail.
Visits to inmates in special high-security units or “security cells” are very limited. Visits take place in a space with a separating glass pane.
A person held in solitary confinement may inform their lawyers or loved ones.

  • The 2023 Annual Report of the Ombud (Norwegian NPM) revealed that prisoners placed in isolation at Ullersmo Prison were not offered sufficient social contact.

    i
    19/03/2024
    / Ombudsman (Sivilombudsmannen)

The solitary confinement measure is subject to regular review

yes

Inmates may challenge solitary confinement before the highest levels of the prison administration (regional or national).

Medical staff may issue an opinion on the extension of solitary confinement. The final decision is the responsibility of the administration. The administration balances medical and security considerations.

  • The 2023 Annual Report of the Ombud (Norwegian NPM) noted that ongoing assessments, which are required by law to determine if the use of a security cell remains strictly necessary, are not always performed at Ullersmo Prison. The facility does not respect the requirements that isolation must only be used in extraordinary circumstances, as a last resort and for the shortest possible time.

    i
    19/03/2024
    / Ombudsman (Sivilombudsmannen)

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. They 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.1

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.

  1. Parliamentary Ombudsman (Sivilombudsmannen), Visit Report No. 75, Bredtveit Prison and Detention Centre and Ullersmo Prison, Zulu East Section, 13-16 March 2023, p. 5 (in Norwegian). ↩

  • Between 2018 and 2022, the number of prisoners isolated in their own cells at Ullersmo Prison doubled, increasing from 36 people in 2018 to 77 in 2022. The number of people imprisoned in security cells rose from 27 in 2018 to 92 in 2022.

    i
    19/03/2024
    / Ombudsman (Sivilombudsmannen)

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 notes in June 2023, that prison conditions for women were poorer at Bredtveit prison and detention centre than the conditions for men. The high-security wing of Bergen prison is shut down in June 2023, and female prisoners are transferred to Skien prison, a former men’s facility converted into a women’s prison.

  • The Ombud (Norwegian NPM) reported that the living conditions of prisoners in the Bredtveit women’s facility were cause for concern. This statement came after an unannounced visit in March 2023.

    i
    19/03/2024
    / Ombudsman (Sivilombudsmannen)

Solitary confinement can be used as

  • punishment
  • protection
  • security

In the Norwegian prison system, solitary confinement is used for punitive separation or preventive separation (personal protection or security measure). This distinction is not always apparent.

  • Anders Behring Breivik, the right-wing extremist responsible for the Utøya massacre in 2011, sued Norway to put an end to his isolation in prison. He considers his imprisonment conditions to be in violation of human rights. The Oslo District Court ruled against Breivik, stating that his imprisonment conditions are not and have not been “disproportionately burdensome”.

    i
    16/02/2024
    / GMA News Online