Danish watchdog to scrutinise conditions for children in women’s prison
Denmark’s parliamentary ombudsman says he will investigate conditions to which female inmates and their children are subjected at Jyderup Prison.
The ombudsman said he would inspect the prison in a statement on Wednesday, after reports in Danish media criticised conditions at the prison.
One of the duties of the parliamentary ombudsman is to protect the rights of children when they are in contact with authorities.
Jyderup Prison has been criticised for poor conditions for both women inmates and their children, with a lack of activities for the children and long waiting times for doctors’ appointments among issues highlighted.
The prison was last year converted to a women’s prison, having previously been a mixed facility.
According to newspaper Politiken, three children under the age of two years lived in the prison as of October. Last month, the newspaper wrote that two children were at the prison with another two expected.
NGO Save The Children Denmark (Red Barnet) reported the conditions at the prison to the parliamentary ombudsman.
The organisation’s head of child protection said that children can be restricted to cells with their mothers for up to 23 hours per day, and do not have contact with other children.
“These are conditions where children are not allowed to go to a kindergarten because there are not enough resources to take them there,” Spitz said.
“And conditions that, overall, are far short of standards and where children’s rights are not lived up to,” she said.
According to its statement, the ombudsman inspection will be conducted by the watchdog’s children’s office. Human rights organisations will also participate.
The inspection is scheduled to take place in February 2023.
The parliamentary ombudsman, Niels Fenger, is responsible for ensuring state administration is within the law and follows good practice.
READ ALSO: Danish supreme court upholds prison sentence for begging
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The ombudsman said he would inspect the prison in a statement on Wednesday, after reports in Danish media criticised conditions at the prison.
One of the duties of the parliamentary ombudsman is to protect the rights of children when they are in contact with authorities.
Jyderup Prison has been criticised for poor conditions for both women inmates and their children, with a lack of activities for the children and long waiting times for doctors’ appointments among issues highlighted.
The prison was last year converted to a women’s prison, having previously been a mixed facility.
According to newspaper Politiken, three children under the age of two years lived in the prison as of October. Last month, the newspaper wrote that two children were at the prison with another two expected.
NGO Save The Children Denmark (Red Barnet) reported the conditions at the prison to the parliamentary ombudsman.
The organisation’s head of child protection said that children can be restricted to cells with their mothers for up to 23 hours per day, and do not have contact with other children.
“These are conditions where children are not allowed to go to a kindergarten because there are not enough resources to take them there,” Spitz said.
“And conditions that, overall, are far short of standards and where children’s rights are not lived up to,” she said.
According to its statement, the ombudsman inspection will be conducted by the watchdog’s children’s office. Human rights organisations will also participate.
The inspection is scheduled to take place in February 2023.
The parliamentary ombudsman, Niels Fenger, is responsible for ensuring state administration is within the law and follows good practice.
READ ALSO: Danish supreme court upholds prison sentence for begging
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