Three former inmates receive compensation after repeated strip searches – news Vestland

In 2022, the state was convicted of human rights violations after several hundred inmates in Bergen prison had been subjected to extensive strip searches over time. Among other things, a woman was seen being asked to remove a tampon while a prison officer looked on. A male inmate was strip-searched up to 500 times. In the judgment from the district court, three former inmates had their legal costs covered, but received no compensation. They appealed the case and today the judgment came from the Borgarting Court of Appeal: The state has been sentenced to pay compensation to the three. Two of them will be paid NOK 100,000, while the third will receive NOK 75,000. They also get further legal costs they have had to be covered. In such a room, several hundred inmates were visited naked in Bergen prison. Now three of those who sued the state have received compensation. Photo: Bergen prison – Today they celebrate Maria Hessen Jacobsen represents the three. She says that her clients are easygoing and very happy. – Today they celebrate, she says. – It is something terrible they have been exposed to. The lack of recognition from the state has been very heavy, and standing in these court rounds has been a revival of the trauma. Hessen Jacobsen from Elden Advokatfirma represents the former inmates. Photo: Oda Flaten Lødemel She says it has been fundamentally important for the three of them to win. – Firstly, the practice has been abolished, and secondly, this judgment and others from the Supreme Court have put an end to the state never being allowed to do this again. – But when it has been said, they probably think the amount is lower than what was thought to be correct. – What did they think was right? – We asked for just under 200,000 for each of those who have received 100,000. An inmate was visited naked hundreds of times in Bergen prison: – It hurts to dress naked all the time – Establishes the right to financial compensation Hessen Jacobsen believes that this judgment helps to define what the correctional service can afford for the future. – The verdict helps to establish a right to reparation compensation as part of the repair the state must make for those it has seriously violated.



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