New agreement: Denmark will lease 300 spaces in Kosovo prisons and build new gang prisons in Denmark.
Danish Justice Minister Nick Hækkerup announced today a new political agreement for the Danish Prison and Probation Service. Parliamentary parties agreed to lease 300 prison spaces in Kosovo. This announcement followed negotiations on the agreement with the Danish People's Party, the SF, and the Conservative Party.
In addition, prison capacity in Denmark will be increased by an estimated hundreds of new places, with the aim of potentially providing 1,000 additional places in Danish prisons.
Nick Hækkerup commented: “I am proud to say that through this agreement we are jointly addressing the binding task. Among other things, we have agreed that we must work on leasing prison spaces in Kosovo for those convicted and deported from third countries. We are expanding into more spaces in Danish prisons in the short and long term.”.
The agreement also provides for an additional 4 billion kroner to be injected into new initiatives, including a new gang prison, three new detention facilities, less use of the penal cell, and better opportunities for inmates' children to stay in touch with their parents.
Although the agreement involves a historic increase in funding, it does not solve all the problems of the prison and probation service. According to Heikrup, this agreement paves the way for improved conditions and a return to balance for the Danish prison and probation service.
Peter Skarup, the legal policy spokesman for the Danish People's Party, told TV2 that this would ease the burden on the Danish prison system, as deported criminals could now serve their sentences outside Denmark. It is no secret that there are space problems in Danish prisons.
Fewer convicted people on the streets
The Conservatives voted in favor of the new agreement, believing that an important mark for the Conservative Party through the agreement is ensuring that no convicts are running around the streets simply because they are waiting to serve their sentences.
The agreement applies to the period from 2022 to 2025, during which intensive efforts will also be made to attract and retain prison officers.
