Barely 43,000 cases of so-called misconduct were reported by the Prison and Probation Service during the first eleven months of 2024 – compared to approximately 39,000 cases throughout 2023. Misconduct can involve everything from work refusal, threats, and violence.
Generally speaking, I would say it has become more chaotic. It is harder to handle the increased number of inmates, when we put more and more in the same departments, says Joakim Righammar, unit manager at the Prison and Probation Service's security department.
Inmates can also be isolated, i.e., placed in solitary confinement, if they misbehave. There has also been an increase in this area – from 32,000 throughout 2023 to 38,000 up until November 2024. Joakim Righammar also states that such places are often full.
The chaos is not solely due to the number of inmates, but also a tougher climate. At Class 1 prison Hall, threats and violent incidents have doubled, which is seen as a direct consequence of the number of inmates having doubled in a couple of years.
