The case summarized: In the period 2021–2023, there were five suicides and six attempted suicides in Bodø prison, which has 56 places. The civil ombudsman criticizes conditions at the prison, such as increased use of secure cells, isolation and coercion, increased violence among inmates, and low staffing. In the period 2008 to May 2023, there were 79 suicides in Norwegian prisons. In the whole of 2023, there were 125 suicide attempts. Civil ombudsman Hanne Harlem says the prison is not good enough to detect the increased risk of suicide. The report after the visit to Bodø prison has 33 improvement points that must be corrected before the end of October. Prison warden in Bodø prison, Mette Moe, says that they are struggling with the overall resource situation, staffing and recruitment. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – What scares me the most is that it has started to become normal. To the point that when I wake up and am not out at the normal time, I think that someone has taken their own life. That’s according to inmate in Bodø prison, Bjørn Edvard Rånes. In the years 2021–2023 there were five suicides and six attempted suicides here. There are an alarming number of people in a department with 56 places, says the Civil Service Ombudsman. Rånes lost a friend in prison to suicide and says that he himself has tried to take his own life. – You feel that you are a gigantic burden for society, for your friends, those closest to you and your family. The Civil Ombudsman criticizes a number of conditions at Bodø prison after they visited there last autumn. According to the report, there is an increase in the use of security cells, a lot of use of isolation and coercion. There is an increase in choice among the inmates, and staffing is so low that both inmates and employees feel unsafe. Several activities on offer in Bodø prison have been closed, according to the Civil Service. Photo: Per-Magne Steen / news Rånes says he notices that there are few employees and that they are overworked. It goes beyond the inmates. – We see, for example, that if a psychologist’s appointment has been booked, they are not allowed to leave. There is not enough staff to take inmates out, says Rånes. – Do not initiate follow-up measures The situation in Bodø is not unique. In the period 2008 to May 1 this year, there were 79 suicides in Norwegian prisons. And in 2023 alone, there were 125 suicide attempts, according to figures from the Directorate of Correctional Services. But the prison in Bodø has pointed out in a negative direction. In 2021, there were two suicides here, while there was only one in, for example, Oslo prison, which has several inmates. Civil ombudsman Hanne Harlem believes that Norwegian prisons are not good enough to detect that there is an increased risk of suicide. Photo: Kaspara Stoltze / news Sivilombod Hanne Harlem says the prison is not good enough to detect that there is an increased risk of suicide. – We went through the five suicides in question in Bodø, and in four of these no follow-up measures had been initiated at all, even though there were clear risk factors, says Harlem. National overview of suicides in Norwegian prisons in the period 2019-2023 2019: Bergen prison – one suicide Oslo prison – one suicide Romerike prison (Ullersmo) – one suicide Halden prison – one prison Ringerike prison – one suicide Indre Østfold prison – one suicide 2020: Oslo prison – two suicides 2021: Halden prison (department Sarpsborg) – one suicide Telemark prison (department Skien) – one suicide Oslo prison – one suicide Romerike prison (Ullersmo) – one suicide Halden prison – one suicide Vadsø prison – one suicide Bodø prison – two suicides Bredtveit prison – one suicide Agder prison (department Mandal) – one suicide Mosjøen prison – one suicide 2022: Romerike prison (Ullersmo) – one suicide Halden prison – one suicide Bodø prison – two suicides 2023: Oslo prison – one suicide Ringerike prison – one suicide Bodø prison – one suicide Bredtveit prison – one suicide Hamar prison – one suicide Agder prison (dept. Froland) – two suicides Source: Correctional Service After the suicides, the evaluations were that these came like lightning from the blue, but when the civil ombudsman has now gone through the cases, there was a history of self-harm and attempted suicide, says Harlem. The report after the visit has 33 points of improvement which the prison must rectify before the end of October. 33 requests after the civil ombudsman’s visit The prison should, as far as possible, ensure that all inmates have a day offer in the form of work or training. The prison should ensure that the shelters are safe and accessible all year round, and that it is possible to get shelter from the weather. The prison should also strengthen the access inmates have to the outdoors during daylight hours. Through the increased presence of prison officers, the prison should ensure better safeguarding of the safety of both inmates and staff. The prison should ensure that all inmates, regardless of language, have equal access to information and services. The prison should offer an interpreter at admission interviews to all inmates who do not have sufficient language skills. Interpreters should also be used when important information is to be given or inmates wish to convey information to the prison. The offer and use of an interpreter should be documented. The prison should strengthen the opportunities inmates have for contact with the outside world, and especially friends and family, through telephone, video calls and visits. The prison should ensure that all inmates who are not isolated can spend at least eight hours outside their cells every day and engage in meaningful activities, including at weekends. The prison must ensure that inmates who self-isolate and inmates who are shut out from the community receive the necessary follow-up, and at least two hours of meaningful social contact. The prison should ensure that all exclusion decisions concretely and in detail describe the reason for exclusion and what more lenient means have been used, and furthermore why these are considered insufficient. The prison should strengthen its work to reduce the risk of isolation injuries for all inmates who are isolated, and also ensure that any deviations are documented and followed up systematically. It should be ensured that inmates are always offered at least one hour’s stay in the open air in an outdoor garden with opportunities for physical activity and access to daylight every day. The prison should take the initiative to ensure that the security cells have a design that is less burdensome. In the current design, the fuse cells should not be used. The prison should implement measures to ensure that all decisions contain a concrete justification for the fact that the measure is strictly necessary and a concrete description of what kind of less intrusive measures have been attempted, and why these have not been implemented. The prison should improve its documentation routines for security cell stays. As a general rule, inmates should be allowed to wear their own clothes while in a secure cell. In the event of an acute risk of suicide, the inmate should be offered tear-resistant, suicide-preventing clothing. Visits with full undressing should be carried out in stages, with inmates being allowed to change their upper body clothes before the garments below are removed in order to make the visitation process as gentle as possible. It should be ensured that this is documented. The prison should implement measures to ensure that all inmates are assessed for the risk of suicide and self-harm, both on admission and during their stay in prison. The prison should ensure that inmates who have an increased risk of suicide and self-harm are met with knowledge-based prevention measures, such as increased human contact, care and activation. The prison should ensure systematic evaluation of routines and implementation of preventive measures after episodes of self-harm and suicide. Isolation should not be used to prevent self-harm, suicide attempts and suicide. The prison should ensure that the health services get their own premises and enough space, while ensuring that the capacity of the health services is not reduced due to premises. The prison, the municipality and the hospital should ensure a fixed meeting structure between the parties at local management level. The prison, the municipality and the hospital should collaborate on health-promoting measures for the inmates. This should include measures both to prevent and reduce health damage, and measures to prevent suicide and self-harm. The municipality should ensure mapping and assessment of health needs upon arrival and within 24 hours at the latest, also outside the opening hours of the health department. Mapping and assessment of suicide risk should always be done on arrival, and during the journey if necessary. The municipality should ensure mapping and assessment of drug problems, including withdrawal states and registration of vital signs. The municipality should have a camera available so that any injuries to inmates can be documented in a record. The municipality should ensure that young inmates receive age- and situation-appropriate information and follow-up. The municipality and the prison should together ensure that inmates can contact the health department directly without confidential health information becoming available to unauthorized persons. The prison and the municipality should together ensure a system for proper medicine handling. The prison and the municipality should separately keep track of canceled and postponed presentations to health services, and work together to ensure that the inmates receive the necessary health follow-up. The municipality should ensure daily supervision and follow-up of inmates who are isolated, regardless of whether it is a decision made by the prison, full isolation by the court or self-isolation. The municipality should ensure a systematic and comprehensive overview of inmates who are isolated, including the reason for the isolation, how long the isolation lasts, any negative health effects, and when health personnel have carried out inspections during this, both in the health department and emergency room. – Lie down with a broken back – I dare say that the correctional service does not just lie down with a broken back. We have removed parts of the spine, says Monica Andersen, trustee for the NFF. She works in Bodø prison, and believes that the problem is the money. – The main problem is the economy, which has been leveled down over the years, she says to news. Monica Andersen, trustee in Norway’s Prison and Probation Association. Photo: Per-Magne Steen / news The prison chief in Bodø agrees. – It is the overall resource situation that is scarce. We also struggle with staffing and recruitment. Our goal is to use the resources we have in the best possible way, and we work on that continuously, says prison warden at Bodø prison, Mette Moe. She says the report is serious, and that there are things they are familiar with. In the future, they will have a meeting with the specialist health service Nordlandssykehuset psychiatry and with the health service in Bodø municipality. Bodø prison has received 33 improvement points which they must correct before the end of October. Photo: Per-Magne Steen / news – Can you dive to improve the 33 points by October? – We probably won’t do that immediately. There will be a prioritization of what is most important. When we look at the overall resource situation, we must also take care of the employees, says Moe. – Some of the reasons Harlem says low staffing makes things difficult, but that there is no one answer to why the situation is bad. – There are probably a number of reasons. According to the Sivilombodet, there are reasons such as activity offers being discontinued, little contact with family and friends, and poor follow-up of health, as well as staffing problems. Bodø prison has received 33 improvement points which they must correct before the end of October. Photo: Per-Magne Steen / news Harlem says she is concerned about the situation in Norwegian prisons. – It is important that the prison does not contribute to reducing the health of inmates and the possibility of rehabilitation. At the same time, she points out that money alone is not the solution. – I am quite sure that within the framework they have, they can make improvements. Do you need someone to talk to? NOTE: If it says about life and health, call 113! Helpline for Mental Health: 116 123 (from abroad: +47 911 16 123) 24-hour chat service and writing service: sidetmedord.no Mental Health Youth Helpline is for youth and young adults, aged 18–35. Open every day all week from 18 to 21. Emergency phone for children and young people: An emergency number for children and young people: 116 111 Red Cross’ Cross on the neck: A chat for everyone under 18 years of age – open daily at 14–22. Cross on your neck phone: 800 33 321 (Mon-Fri 14-22) Church SOS, phone 22 40 00 40 (24/7) Church SOS, anonymous chat: soschat.no (daily 18.30-22.30 – Fri to 01.30) Several different You can find helplines and chats at psyksikhelse.no Source: The Council for Mental Health Published 10.09.2024, at 15.59
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Bodø prison receives criticism from the civil ombudsman – news Nordland
