– It is only a matter of time before an incident occurs that causes serious damage to employees or inmates, says Ronny Nilsen. He is deputy chairman of the Professional Association of the Criminal Service (KY). Deputy head Ronny Nilsen in the Professional Association of the Correctional Service (KY) is concerned. Photo: Amalie Fagerhaug Evjen / news In the last two years, 83 employees have left the high-security prison in Halden. Most of them are prison officers. According to Nilsen, not a single prison officer has been employed to cover the flow of those who have quit. – The prison officers’ health and safety is not at all a focus in our workplace, unfortunately. We have so few people at work in relation to the level of activity. It is simply a threat to security. – Dismissed and chosen to be unemployed At the latest last year, the employees notified that they feared for their own safety at work. Among other things, because they experienced serious threats from the inmates, and because there has been an increase in inmates struggling with psychiatry. Prison manager Helge Valseth says they have employed four prison officers since 2020 and seven officers in one year’s temporary work. But he shares the union’s concern and says that there are demanding times in the high-security prison. – The framework is too tight and I am worried about how it will be in 2024 and the following years, says Valseth. The low staffing has led to them taking away security measures and routines. – Some have resigned and chosen to become unemployed because they cannot stand the despair and the seriousness of being too few people in a high-security prison, says Nilsen. In March this year, several inmates and employees witnessed an inmate taking his own life in Bredtveit women’s prison. The week after the suicide, the Civil Ombudsman was on an unannounced inspection of the prison. The worrying use of isolation and belt beds on vulnerable inmates was then uncovered. Shortly afterwards, they sent an urgent letter to the Minister of Justice and demanded urgent action. The Minister of Justice announced that they will take immediate action. Among other things, there would be more employees and fewer inmates. Deputy head in KY, Ronny Nilsen has worked as a prison officer for over 25 years. Never before has he experienced worse staffing in Halden prison. Photo: Amalie Fagerhaug Evjen / news Now the deputy head of KY fears that a similar serious incident will happen in Halden prison. – We wonder if there actually has to be a serious injury for us to be taken seriously, says Nilsen. Thinks action must be taken. The plan is for Halden prison to employ more people this autumn. But KY doubts that will happen. – It has been said before that new people will be hired. But it is predicted that it will be tightened even more in 2024 and 2025. That makes it impossible to meet our social mission, says the deputy leader. The poor staffing does not only affect the employees, but also the inmates. Norway has been criticized for excessive use of isolation. Nilsen believes that there will be more isolation and less activities for inmates in the future. He calls the current situation a punishment machine without content. In recent years, the inmates have spent more time behind locked doors. Photo: Håkon Hov Martinsen / news Correctional staff are exposed to violence and threats that can lead to psychological stress injuries. This is shown by a recent survey from the Directorate of Correctional Services. Those who work in region East, including Oslo and Viken, are more likely to experience violence, threats and harassment than in the other regions. According to prison manager Valseth, they have been clear to the politicians that the framework must be improved. If no one takes action, it may become more difficult to manage the social mission in a good way, he emphasizes. – We will continue to express our concern, but ultimately it is the Storting that allocates the funds. Picture shows an overview of the staffing at Halden prison from February to April this year. For 90 per cent of the month of March, the basic staff at Halden Prison was not covered. Green line shows that the day is covered, while yellow line shows that the day is partially covered. Photo: Amalie Fagerhaug Evjen The government: – Requires work over time In the last two years, the government has allocated around 145 million to the Correctional Service, which was to be used to strengthen basic staffing and limit isolation in prisons. But the union has seen nothing of the money. According to KY, the funds have been used to cover deficits from previous years. The Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness has no answers to the individual questions news has asked about the staffing problems or the sentencing conditions of the inmates in Halden prison. But State Secretary John-Erik Vika (Sp) writes in an e-mail that there is no doubt that the correctional service is in a demanding financial situation. – This government is betting on correctional facilities. We want to reverse the trend and improve the economic situation. But it requires work over time, writes Vika.
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83 employees have left in two years – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
