The waiting list for serving sentences increased by over 80 percent

Norwegian news in english: ID: 18640490 NTB The number of individuals awaiting to serve unconditional prison sentences has increased by almost 81 percent in the last year, according to key figures from the Correctional Services. While 131 individuals with unconditional sentences were awaiting incarceration in Norwegian prisons in January 2023, the queue had increased to 237 individuals one year […]

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ID: 18640490 NTB The number of individuals awaiting to serve unconditional prison sentences has increased by almost 81 percent in the last year, according to key figures from the Correctional Services. While 131 individuals with unconditional sentences were awaiting incarceration in Norwegian prisons in January 2023, the queue had increased to 237 individuals one year later, as indicated by the key figures from the Correctional Services. This is 21 more than in December last year.

«The development is in line with the expectations of the Correctional Services Directorate (KDI). KDI expects the queue to remain stable at around 200 sentences in the time ahead,» writes the Correctional Services.

Nine individuals were awaiting sentence with electronic monitoring bracelets one year ago. In the first month of this year, this number had risen to 14. Over the course of a year, the number of individuals sentenced to serve their punishment with an electronic monitoring bracelet has decreased from 322 to 307. The proportion of women was 17 percent last month.

Overall, the number of inmates fell from 3045 to 3012 from January 2023 to the same month this year. Capacity utilization has decreased from 83 to 80 percent during 2023. The Correctional Services emphasizes that it is not a goal to have 100 percent occupancy as there should always be available remand places and the possibility to move convicted individuals between prisons.

The number of female inmates has decreased from 194 to 163 in a year, while the number of foreign nationals in Norwegian prisons has decreased from 805 to 790. Also, regarding detainees in custody, the number has decreased slightly – from 148 men and 9 women in January last year to 143 men and 8 women this year. At the same time, more individuals are in custody in January this year than in the same month last year – from 656 to 725.

The figures further show that almost half (45.1 percent) of those sentenced to community service in January 2024 were convicted of traffic offenses. This is followed by economic crime and drug/alcohol offenses with 14.6 and 12.3 percent, respectively.

(©NTB)