Complaints against the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, Mariefred correctional facility, about the ability to deduct the dental care subsidy after dental procedures carried out there

Two people complained that inmates of Mariefred correctional facility cannot utilise benefits related to dental treatment that has been carried out at the facility. Similar complaints against the Swedish Prison and Probation Service have been made to the Parliamentary Ombudsmen in other contexts as well. The Parliamentary Ombudsman states that the Swedish Prison and Probation Service has an obligation to ensure that inmates who receive dental treatment have access to it on the same terms as others in society, which includes the right to utilise benefits that are offered in relation to dental care. Investigations show that the Swedish Prison and Probation Service has an agreement with the dentists who work in the institution regarding how the benefits are to be administered, and the Parliamentary Ombudsman has no reason to criticise this. However, she points out that is important that the agency follow up on the agreements entered into in order to ensure that the conditions that apply and have been set are also being respected, and that, in practice, inmates are not deprived of the opportunity to receive dental care during their detention.