Severe criticism of the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, Sollentuna Remand Prison, for a procedure that places unacceptable restrictions on inmates’ right to telephone contact with their defence counsel

Summary of the decision: Sollentuna Remand Prison has introduced a procedure for calls with lawyers under which defence counsel can contact an inmate at any time but, as a general rule, inmates are not permitted to call their defence counsel after 17:00.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman notes that it may be necessary to accept that a remand prison may restrict opportunities for inmates to call their defence counsel during certain times of day. However, in his opinion, a general limit as early as 17:00 is an overly far-reaching restriction on the right to contact one’s defence counsel. The investigation also reveals that it is not possible for inmates sharing cells to speak to their defence counsel in private after this time. According to the Parliamentary Ombudsman, in this regard the remand prison’s procedure violates the fundamental right to confidential communication with defence counsel.

According to the Parliamentary Ombudsman, the remand prison’s procedure places unacceptable restrictions on inmates’ right to telephone contact with their defence counsel. For this, the remand prison is deserving of severe criticism. The Parliamentary Ombudsman assumes that the procedure will be reviewed accordingly.

In the decision, the Parliamentary Ombudsman also states an opinion on whether a specific room in Ystad Remand Prison is suitable for meetings between inmates and defence counsel.