Criticism of the Swedish Prison and Probation Service concerning the authority’s instructions concerning how post to inmates is to be addressed

Summary of the decision: In this case, the Parliamentary Ombudsman has investigated certain issues concerning the Swedish Prison and Probation Service’s information concerning how post to inmates is to be addressed, and the authority’s subsequent handling thereof. The review was conducted in light of the constitutional right to confidential communication and the Swedish Prison and Probation Service’s own rules in this specific area.

It has emerged that instructions on the Swedish Prison and Probation Service’s website state that post must be addressed to the authority, followed by the inmate’s name. The Parliamentary Ombudsman is highly critical of this, among other things because it makes it more difficult to assess who post is intended for and entails the risk that post will be unlawfully opened and read. The investigation reveals that, until recently, one prison dealt with post addressed according to the instructions as intended for the authority itself. The Parliamentary Ombudsman welcomes the Swedish Prison and Probation Service’s intention to review the information and clarify the rules.

In light of her observations during supervision, the Parliamentary Ombudsman is aware of a need to look more closely at the Swedish Prison and Probation Service’s handling of packets sent to inmates and will therefore return to this matter in the near future.