The purpose of the visit was to examine the conditions of detention, regime and treatment of persons accommodated in the closed unit (Unit A) of the new prison in Nuuk (Ny Anstalt). Brought into service in 2019, it is the only prison establishment in Greenland which has a closed unit. Previously, persons from Greenland serving a sentence in closed conditions had to do so in Denmark, mainly in Herstedvester Institution (visited by the CPT in 2008). The opening of the Nuuk Prison enables Greenlandic prisoners to be held closer to their homes and in a familiar linguistic and cultural environment. Most of the prisoners concerned are serving indeterminate prison sentences (forvarignsdom) for serious offences.
The delegation received no allegations – nor any other indications – of physical ill-treatment of prisoners by staff at Nuuk Prison. On the contrary, the atmosphere seemed to be quite relaxed, and some prisoners spoke positively about particular members of custodial staff. As for inter-prisoner violence, this did not appear to be a major problem in the establishment.
The material conditions in Unit A of Nuuk Prison were on the whole excellent. However, due to overcrowding, five of the single cells had to be converted to double-occupancy, which reduced the available living space for the prisoners placed in those cells. Furthermore, overcrowding had obliged the prison’s management to place some sentenced prisoners in the same section as remand prisoners (resulting in restricting the sentenced inmates’ access to the telephone) as well as accommodating male prisoners in the same section as female inmates, which restricted access to the communal area for both. In light of the situation observed at Nuuk Prison, the CPT recommended that the Danish authorities increase the range of, and the recourse to alternative measures and sanctions in Greenland.
As regards activities, the delegation was impressed by the fact that all sentenced prisoners were enabled to work or study, and that they could also get involved in arts and crafts. The situation was less favourable with respect to remand prisoners for whom there was no work except for cleaning the corridors, for a few of them. Considering that some of the remand prisoners had already spent months, if not years, at Nuuk Prison, the Committee recommended that efforts be made to enlarge the offer of organised activities, especially paid work, to this category of inmates.
Less positive findings concerned the insufficient healthcare staff complement, the lack of systematic medical screening on arrival, insufficient access to psychiatric care and psychological assistance, and inadequate custodial staff presence and training.
Other issues of concern included problems with the procedure and regime applied to prisoners in voluntary solitary confinement and those placed in “observation” and “security” cells, and insufficient visiting and phone call entitlement for remand prisoners.
