Iceland may consider travel bans for convicted people awaiting prison

Iceland should consider whether convicted people can be barred from leaving the country before they begin serving their sentences, Prison Administration director Ragna Bjarnadóttir said, mbl.is reported.

Speaking on Dagmál, an mbl.is programme, Bjarnadóttir said people who are not in pre-trial detention are generally free to travel while waiting to be summoned to prison.

If they fail to report, authorities can issue an arrest warrant and, depending on the circumstances, request their return from another country. They can also ask another country to enforce a sentence if relevant agreements are in place, or seek the person’s return through a European arrest warrant or an extradition request.

Asked whether a travel ban could be imposed after conviction but before a person starts serving a sentence, Bjarnadóttir said she did not believe current law allowed it. She said a change to the law would likely be needed.