Criticism of the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, Mariefred correctional facility, for failure to manage requests from an inmate

An employee failed to manage the requests made by inmates and, among other things, answered inmates on a post-it note without a signature. In the decision, the Parliamentary Ombudsman stresses the importance of carrying out, in every individual case, a thorough assessment of whether a request can be handled on the basis of the Swedish Prison and Probation Service’s service obligations or whether it is a formal matter. Furthermore, the Parliamentary Ombudsman recalls that the Swedish Prison and Probation Service should be generous in permitting conversations between an inmate and a lawyer who is assisting the inmate with a legal matter and that such a conversation can be of an urgent nature.

Date of decision: 2023-11-30