To recall, the CPT report, inter alia emphasised that no allegations were received of physical ill-treatment of prisoners by staff in the prisons visited, and that the Norwegian prison system continued to benefit from a well-trained and motivated staff. However, the CPT noted that the decreasing budget and problems with attracting and retaining staff created difficulties in offering a meaningful regime. Further, the Committee once again expressed its concern as regards prisoners excluded from the company of other detained persons or under court-ordered isolation, who could still spend up to 22 hours a day alone in their cells. Also, it observed that the prevalence of self-harm remained high in Norwegian prisons, and that healthcare staffing was insufficient, with significant staff turnover, poor communication with other services within the prisons visited and frequent absences of doctors and nurses, which hampered the continuity of care.

The report stated that the living conditions in the psychiatric hospitals visited were very good, if not excellent, but that attraction and retention of staff was also a major challenge for these hospitals, which at times limited the treatment options available to patients. A recurring issue in the three hospitals visited concerned the practice of accommodating women on mixed gender wards with mostly men.

The CPT noted that there was an upward trend in the resort to the use of means of restraint in psychiatric hospitals between 2017 and 2022. In one of the hospitals visited, several patients were subjected to prolonged periods of mechanical fixation to a bed, during which time they had to use bedpans, bottles and catheters to relieve themselves.

The conditions of detention at the Trandum immigration detention centre remained acceptable in general. Nevertheless, despite efforts to create a positive environment, the CPT found that staff had serious difficulties in managing foreign nationals presenting a risk of suicide or self-harm. Measures to address these risks included the use of a padded helmet and body-cuffs, and placement in a security cell.

As a final point, the report stressed that the CPT had received no allegations of ill-treatment of persons by the police. Nevertheless, the CPT noted that it was the practice not to record injuries upon admission to a police station. Combined with the frequent absence of a medical examination upon entry to a remand prison, as well as the absence of access to a lawyer from the outset of detention, this creates a systemic weakness regarding the prevention of police ill-treatment for certain categories of persons.

In their response, the Norwegian authorities set out the measures taken and envisaged to implement the recommendations made by the Committee in the report.

The response has been made public under an automatic publication procedure introduced by the Norwegian authorities.

• Read the response
• Read the report
• The CPT and Norway