– There is no one who wants to put a ward to sleep, says prison manager in Bredtveit prison and detention center Doris Bakken. After a budget meeting in May, the prison management realized that they had to ask the Norwegian Prison and Probation Service (KDI) for permission to close ward 4 at Bredtveit. – Going to sleep means that we close a department for a short period, Bakken explains. The prison has been given permission to close the ward until the New Year. But it may be that it will be reopened earlier, if the prison queue becomes too long, says prison manager at Bredtveit prison and detention center Doris Bakken. Photo: Ali Iqbal Tahir / news The closure goes beyond the inmates, Bakken explains. – They lose their armband and the freedom they had in that department. If one is zoned for as long as several of them do, it is important with stability and peace to have the best conditions of imprisonment, she says. Few people at work Over several years, the economy has declined for Bredtveit. – We have reduced everything we can by staff. Also in administration and management. We have turned every penny, and there is little else we can do, Bakken says. She explains that staffing is the biggest expense of the prison. But if there are not enough people at work, it really goes beyond the rehabilitation of inmates, the prison manager explains. – I’m worried about that, she says. Bredtvet prison and detention center Photo: Kriminalomsorgen Bredtveit prison and detention center is located in Oslo municipality and is a nationwide institution for female detainees, convicts and remand prisoners. There are 146 female prisoners in Norway. At Bredtveit, 64 of them are divided into two different main departments, where there are subdivisions. 45 of the deployed zones in a department with a high level of security. 19 other zones in what is called section B2, where there is lower security. The average period of imprisonment is 7 years at Bredtveit. Department 4 at Bredtveit Department 4 is a high security department. There are 9 inmates in the ward. There is lower security than in other high-security wards and the inmates get more trust, more free time and they can perform work, for example in the kitchen. The inmates have usually served around 5 years before they are transferred to Ward 4. By this ward being temporarily closed, will it lead to more isolation? – Yes and no, Bakken answers and explains further. Several of the inmates who have been in ward 4 are locked in the cell longer during the day. But it comes from the fact that the departments to which they are transferred have shorter opening hours. – There will be no more isolation in itself, but if there is such a high level of sick leave that we are unable to ensure safety, we will have to lock down wards, she says. The prison manager at Bredtveit is worried that there may be more isolation in the prison if the finances do not fall into place. Photo: Anders Fehn Is there a danger that this could happen? – Yes, there is a danger of that. If we do not have enough qualified staff, we must take other measures to have a good and safe prison, Bakken answers. – Violates human rights It is not only Bredtveit women’s prison that has blown the budget. On 30 June this year, the total consumption for the penal care system, which exceeds the budget, was NOK 55,927,968. KDI estimates that the figure could increase to NOK 90 million over the budget during 2022. The Norwegian Prison and Probation Association (NFF) calls the situation serious and disturbing. In a report of concern to the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness, the leader of the union for prison employees Asle Aase asks questions about whether the prison service is able to solve its task. There he also writes that several prison wards that are planned are closed. Leader of the Norwegian Prison and Probation Association Asle Aase says that 300 million has been cut in the budget for prison care from 2015 to 2022. Photo: NFF magazine He says that the situation can lead to more isolation for the inmates. – We can not have a practice that can lead to us violating human rights, we can not continue to let prisoners who really should have been out together sit locked in the cells, says Aase. – We will find solutions There is a dialogue between NFF and the Ministry of Justice and a meeting is planned right over the summer, says State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Management John-Erik Vika. – We are aware that there is a strained financial situation in the penal care, he says. State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness John-Erik Vika will cooperate with NFF to find a solution. Photo: Bård Nafstad / news There is a dialogue between NFF and the Ministry of Justice and a meeting is planned right over the summer, says State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Management John-Erik Vika. – We are aware that there is a strained financial situation in the penal care, he says. The government has invested NOK 50 million in this year’s budget for prison care, and the full – year effect of this will be NOK 100 million next year, says Vika. He agrees with Aase in the NFF when it comes to human rights violations. – One should not violate human rights. I can not say anything concrete beyond that, but we take it very seriously, he says. The Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness will work with the situation. – In collaboration with the prison service, we will work hard to find solutions to the challenges that are, says the Secretary of State.
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Bredtveit women’s prison has to put the ward to sleep due to lack of money – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
