A large number of members of criminal gangs have been arrested in Sweden recently. The authorities are worried about the violence, which has also moved inside the prisons.
The public broadcasting company SVT is reviewed the reports about threats and abuses that occurred in institutions. Violence is increasing.
According to statistics from the Criminal Service, more than 1,100 cases of violence and threats between people in prisons were reported last year.
At the same time, the number of gang members in prisons has increased.
– There are currently almost a thousand people in prisons who have connections to organized crime or gang crime, says the security director of the Swedish Criminal Service Kenneth Holm for SVT.
Gang members threaten each other
In the reports seen by SVT, there are cases in which gang members convicted of murder have received threats from other prisoners or have been subjected to direct violence. The reports tell, for example, about mass fights in the cells and in the canteen.
More than a hundred people have received more than three warnings during the past year.
The prisons are full
Swedish prisons have suffered from a lack of space for a long time. The space shortage is expected to continue to worsen.
As a result, hundreds of remand prisoners have been placed in police prisons, which are basically intended for short-term detention.
In Sweden, a special group has been established to apply for vacant prison places in different parts of the country.
SVT previously reported that suspected criminals have even had to be released due to a lack of holding cells. It has been decided to expand the prisons, but the plans are progressing slowly.