The Prison and Probation Service is facing a major expansion where today's 11,000 places are planned to be expanded to 29,000 in ten years.
At the same time, the costs need to be reviewed.
In the authority's latest report – which was released on Thursday – a number of factors are pointed out as keys to what is described as a "cost-effective expansion". The Prison and Probation Service wants to dampen the cost development and reduce the daily costs for inmates from today's 3,874 kr per day in prison and 3,563 kr per day in custody.
The costs are to be reduced, among other things, by reducing the staffing density, streamlining recruitment processes, limiting external staff turnover and working for reduced sickness absence.
We have previously stated that we aim to try to reduce the staffing density by 30 percent. It will still mean that we need to double our staff, i.e. increase by 15,000 employees, says Björn Myrberg.
Single staffing common in other countries
The Prison and Probation Service also points out that the staffing density is higher in Sweden than in other European countries. Single staffing is also something that is highlighted in the report as commonly occurring elsewhere.
One can see in other countries that reduced staffing density does not have to be in conflict with a safe existence or a good working environment. It's about doing it in a good and wise way, says Björn Myrberg.
Calling for legislative support
But it's a bit too early to say how that part will be. For us, it's very important to have continued high security and quality in the business. If you talk about hazardous single staffing, we should absolutely avoid it.
The agency also wants legislative support for inmates to be allowed to eat certain meals locked in their rooms, increased opportunities for inmates to share cells with others in custody, and increased opportunities to adapt the daily routine in case of staff shortages.
