– It’s full now. So then he got a place in an adult prison. That’s what police attorney Hanna Kaplon says. There are a total of eight places throughout Norway for children under the age of 18 who are detained. They are at Bjørgvin Prison in Bergen and Romerike Prison in Eidsvoll. All eight of these places are now full. Thus, today a 15-year-old boy is put in adult prison. The 15-year-old boy was already transferred to Eidsberg prison yesterday and will now sit there with only adult inmates for a week. Stabbing in Greenland The 15-year-old boy is the third police have caught after the stabbing in Greenland earlier this week. In a fight between around ten people, a man in his late teens was stabbed. The man is not seriously injured. The police identified three possible perpetrators. One is taken care of by child protection because he is under 15 years old. The other was remanded in custody for two weeks on Wednesday. He got the last available place in the youth prisons. The third boy was arrested yesterday and produced for remand today. This is the boy who is now going to adult prison. – It is unfortunate that the boy does not get a place in a youth prison. It would have been the best thing for him, says Kaplon. Lack of space The police emphasize that it is a problem that in a case like this there is no free space at the youth prison. – Now there have been reports of high and rising figures in youth crime, and the number of places in youth prisons has, as far as I know, stagnated, says Kaplon. It has been politically decided that when the youth prisons are full, these specially adapted youth places that they have at Eidsberg must be used. Eidsberg prison has a youth team, which works with inmates between the ages of 18 and 25. – But it’s not a youth prison, it’s an adult prison, points out Kaplon. PROBLEM: It is not good for the 15-year-old to be put in adult prison, the police believe. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / news Can affect the length of detention In addition to being bad for the boy, the police believe that it also makes their work more demanding because they get less time to work. – The police requested the boy be imprisoned for two weeks on the grounds of risk of tampering with evidence. We have now received the ruling from the Oslo district court and we were upheld for one week, says Kaplon. She explains that when it comes to imprisoning children, the court has to make many assessments. – As the police have been successful for a week, it means that the court emphasizes the burden it is on the boy to sit in this prison. She does not want to speculate on whether the reason they were only allowed one week’s detention is because the youth prisons are full and the boy will not have to sit in an adult prison for too long. But she does not hide that it may have played a role. – Do you have to work extra fast now to gather all the evidence before the boy is released? – Yes, 100%. There is a lot to be done in a short time now. Fight: It was in a fight between several people that the three children allegedly stabbed a person in their late teens. Photo: Zhilwan Manbari / news – The threshold for imprisoning children must be high. The police attorney emphasizes that while the child must be looked after, society must also be protected. – The threshold for imprisoning children is very, very high, and it must always be high. Consideration must be given to the child who is to be detained. At the same time, it is the consideration of society that must be able to investigate criminal offenses and hold those responsible to account.
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15-year-old in adult prison after stabbing in Greenland – Greater Oslo
