Danish prisons reach record overcrowding with 350 extra inmates

Danish prisons are holding 4,650 inmates despite having room for 4,300, with average occupancy at a record 105.4 per cent, DR reports, citing the Prison Officers’ Union.

Overcrowding has led to bunk beds being installed in cells to accommodate two people instead of one. Hobby rooms, visiting rooms and offices have also been converted to hold inmates. Occupancy was 102.7 per cent last year.

Vejle Arrest, a detention centre, has been the most crowded, with average occupancy of 135 per cent this year. Jan Bruun, a staff representative there, said staff spend a lot of time finding space for inmates, moving them when a shared cell does not work and relocating them again when restrictions on letters and visits are lifted. He said the cells were increasingly deteriorating.

Hillerød Arrest, another detention centre, has had occupancy of 140 per cent in recent months, putting heavy demands on staff, according to the centre. At Randers Arrest, average occupancy has been 115 per cent this year. A staff representative said the pressure had increased conflict among inmates.

Further overcrowding is expected, partly because of tougher sentences for violence and rape under a sentencing reform. Half of the changes took effect in February this year, with further changes due to take effect in January.