Severe criticism of the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, Luleå Prison, for segregating an inmate for almost one month pursuant to Section 5 of Chapter 6 of the Act on Imprisonment

Summary of the decision: Luleå Prison decided to segregate an inmate pursuant to Section 5 of Chapter 6 of the Swedish Act on Imprisonment (SFS 2010:610). This provision states that inmates may be temporarily segregated from one another if this is necessary to maintain good order or security. Any such decision must be temporary and shall never exceed the period of time necessary for the agency to deal with the situation, normally no longer than a few hours or a few days.

The investigation in the case reveals that the prison segregated the inmate for almost one month. The Parliamentary Ombudsman holds that this is a completely unacceptable application of Section 5 of Chapter 6 of the Act on Imprisonment, and that segregation is coercive intervention that must not be dealt with in such a shoddy manner. The Swedish Prison and Probation Service is therefore severely criticised.