Severe criticism of the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, Umeå Remand Prison, for failing to ensure that an inmate received the preliminary investigation report on their case, as well as for supplying incorrect information on the matter to public defence counsel and the police

Summary of the decision: On noticing that his remanded client had not received a preliminary investigation report, a public defence counsel contacted the remand prison and explained that the client needed the material immediately. The police also contacted the remand prison to ensure that the inmate could access it. Staff at the remand prison confirmed that the documents were there and stated that the inmate could access the documents on request.

It was not until shortly before the inmate was transferred from the remand prison that any attempt was made to locate the preliminary investigation report in question, but it could not be found. Only after the Parliamentary Ombudsman commenced their review that the documents were found in a box in the post room. The investigation suggests that the preliminary investigation report had been there the entire time.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman is unable to draw any conclusion other than that, on at least two occasions, staff at the remand prison gave a positive response regarding the inmate’s possibility to access the preliminary investigation report without following up on which preliminary investigation report the inquiry related to and whether it was available at the detention centre. Irrespective of the cause, the Parliamentary Ombudsman finds it completely unacceptable that the remand prison supplied information that under the circumstances was plainly incorrect to the public defence counsel and the police.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman considers the deficiencies revealed in the case to be remarkable to say the least. It is unacceptable for a matter as important as an inmate’s access to the preliminary investigation report on their case to be handled in such a nonchalant and substandard manner. The remand prison is severely criticised.