Report against the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, Helsingborg remand centre, the Berga branch, regarding a defence counsel being locked in with his/her clients in the remand centre’s visiting room.

When a public defence counsel was visiting a client in remand, the remand centre could only offer a visiting room that was placed in such a way that the lawyer needed to be locked in together with the inmate. Since the lawyer did not accept this, the visit needed to be cancelled. At the time there was only one visiting room where a lawyer was able to meet with her client in private without being locked in with him/her. JO finds that she is unable to make a statement on whether this caused general problems. She is in favour of the remand centre not needing to lock in lawyers together with inmates after a reconstruction of the building.

JO’s decision will be sent to the Swedish Bar Association for their information.