In an effort to solve its growing prison shortage, Norway has asked to rent prison space in neighboring Sweden, the Norwegian justice ministry said Thursday. In a letter sent this week to his Swedish counterpart Beatrice Ask, Norway's Justice Minister Anders Anundsen explained that the situation in his country made it necessary to "look for extraordinary methods." "I know that Sweden has vacant places and that some correctional facilities are closing down," he wrote. "Thus, I want to raise the possibility of renting prison places." About 1,200 people are currently waiting to serve sentences in Norway but are unable to due to lack of prison space, according to the justice ministry. Swedish Prison and Probation figures show that the country's inmate population dropped by one percent a year between 2004 and 2010, and by six percent in 2011 and 2012, down to about 4,300 inmates today. Some have attributed Sweden's diminishing prison population to the increased use of non-custodial sentences, including electronic tagging and community service. Sweden has 82 prison facilities and closed down four of them and one rehabilitation center in the last year. Norwegian trade unions said Anundsen's initiative was understandable, but called it an "admission of failure." "It's tragic that a country as rich as Norway must turn to its neighbor," Geir Bjoerkli, head of the Norwegian Prison and Probation Officers Union, told Agence France Presse, adding that the request could run into a number of legal and logistical pitfalls. "The solution is simple: we need to start planning the construction of new prisons right away ... and we also need to develop alternative sentences," he said. Norway is not the first European country to look to a neighbor for help with overflowing prisons. Since 2010 Belgium has rented an entire prison from its northern neighbor, the Netherlands.
GMT 12:09 2018 Monday ,26 November
Black Friday less wild as more Americans turn to online dealsGMT 15:07 2018 Sunday ,18 November
Refugee host countries discuss UNRWA's financial crisisGMT 17:22 2018 Wednesday ,31 October
Russia climbed to 31st place in Doing Business-2019 ratingGMT 16:53 2018 Wednesday ,17 October
"Putin" We need for collective restoration of Syria's economyGMT 14:02 2018 Friday ,12 October
Govt to announce incentives package for Overseas PakistanisGMT 18:26 2018 Saturday ,06 October
Dubai attracts Dh17.7 billion in foreign direct investmentGMT 09:02 2018 Friday ,21 September
Economy of Georgia demonstrates "strong signs of recovery"GMT 09:03 2018 Wednesday ,24 January
German investor confidence surges in JanuaryMaintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor