– It is a great pity. We have built Norway’s, and perhaps the world’s, most modern prisons. But then we cannot afford to provide good content for the inmates, says Rolf Velle. The manager at Agder prison shows around the ward in Mandal, which opened three years ago. Here, 100 men are serving time under a high security level. Nevertheless, the inmates can shop and cook their own food, get an education and live as much as possible like outside the walls. But severe cuts in budgets in the future threaten this freedom of action. – We will get more isolation, less community and less positive content, continues Velle. He is deeply concerned about the future of both the inmates and the staff. Prison manager at Agder prison, Rolf Velle, fears budget cuts will have major consequences for both inmates and staff. Photo: Kjetil Samuelsen / news Agder prison Consists of wards in Mandal, Froland, Evje and Solholmen. The prison in Mandal has 100 prison places for men with a high security level. In Froland, there are 200 prison terms for men with a high security level. The prison in Froland has cost NOK 1.15 billion, the prison in Mandal NOK 726 million. The four departments have close to 400 employees. Source: Kriminalomsorgen.no Must cut over NOK 100 million By the end of 2025, Agder prison is required to cut over NOK 100 million. And the cuts mainly affect staffing, according to Velle. – Prisons are a manpower-intensive industry, so when you cut funds, that means cuts in people. And if you take away staffing, then you also take away the content for those who are serving time. All teaching was canceled when news was visiting. The teachers were on a study tour, and the prison has cut almost all use of substitutes. Photo: Benedicte Goa Ludvigsen / news The inmates have already started marking the cuts. When news is visiting, both the teaching rooms and the gymnasium are empty. The teachers are on a study tour, and there is no money to hire substitutes. – It’s a shame for the inmates who have to sit in their cells all day, with no offer. And we are experiencing this happening more and more often now, says Hilde Halkjelsvik Aabel, local manager at Agder prison department Mandal. Local manager at Agder prison ward Mandal, Hilde Halkjelsvik Aabel, thinks it is tragic that the inmates are not allowed to use all the services the prison can actually offer. Photo: Kjetil Samuelsen / news 20 hours in isolation When content and activities are constantly cancelled, frustration increases among the inmates. After the savings started at the turn of the year, there has been a marked increase in unwanted incidents at the departments in both Mandal and Froland. – There is great frustration among the inmates. Before there were extremely few incidents, and now we see that it is happening much more frequently. And it is guaranteed to be due to poorer staffing, says prison officer and shop steward Sondre Haugdal. Sondre Haugdal (tv) is a prison officer and shop steward in the Norwegian Prison and Probation Association. He says the savings are eating away at both inmates and employees. Photo: Kjetil Samuelsen / news – The fact that things are cancelled, or that things change, is one of the worst things for the inmate. They want and need fixed routines. When this is shaken, unrest begins in the “top lid”, says Aabel. And it could be worse. According to Velle, the cuts will mean far more insulation on the cell in the years to come. – In the worst case, it may very well happen that we start approaching 20 hours a day in a cell for some people, he says. The library in Mandal prison is popular among the inmates. With lower staffing, the inmates will not be able to come here as often. Photo: Benedicte Goa Ludvigsen / news Four prisons Agder prison consists of four prisons; in Froland, Mandal, Evje and Kristiansand. According to Velle, this is the core of the problem. – We run four prisons in four different locations, but we receive subsidies as if we ran one prison. It is expensive in itself with double functions at the two large high-security departments. In addition, it costs more for the inmates to buy and cook food themselves, because it requires more staff to ensure security. – It is special for Agder prison, and an important part of the sentence here. Other prisons do not have this offer. The shop in Agder prison ward Mandal. Here inmates can shop for food and other items that they need on a daily basis. Photo: Benedicte Goa Ludvigsen / news – Approaching the pain threshold The two new prisons in Froland and Mandal are the most modern in the country. It is therefore the wish of the Directorate of Correctional Services (KDI) that as many people as possible should be served time there. The prisons are thus mostly full at all times. Regional Director of Correctional Services in the Southwest, Tanja Rosså Ødegård shares the concern about the financial situation. Tanja Rosså Ødegård is regional director of the Norwegian Correctional Service in the southwest. Photo: Odd Rune Kyllingstad / news The Correctional Service receives its funds from the state budget. Ødegård believes that over several years, too little money has come in compared to what they need. – We are going to reduce unnecessary costs, but now we are starting to approach the pain threshold for what we can manage to deliver with a background in financial allocation. Ødegård also points out that it was a political decision to build two new prisons, instead of one. The Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness recognizes that the correctional service is in a demanding financial situation and takes the concerns of the employees seriously. In the proposal for a revised budget that was presented on 11 May, it is proposed to add an extra NOK 100 million to the correctional service. Prison officer Haugland thinks the situation is tragic. – It ends up with employees not wanting to work here and inmates not wanting to come here. So much money has been spent on these prisons and it doesn’t work. It is a disaster. The exercise room in the common area at the prison in Mandal is increasingly locked. Photo: Benedicte Goa Ludvigsen / news Hello! Do you have any thoughts about the case you have read, or input on other cases we at news Sørlandet should check out? Feel free to send me an email!
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Norway’s most modern prisons – but no money to run them – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
