Prison may end up in Vinslöv or Sösdala
The inquiry was initiated by Kenny Hansson (M), Chair of the Environmental and Community Development Committee.
The Swedish Prison and Probation Service wants to build a new prison in the south of Sweden. It would provide between 250 and 300 jobs. Therefore, several municipalities are interested, including Kristianstad and Osby municipalities.
Hässleholm also wants to be part of the discussion. The municipality therefore contacted the Swedish Prison and Probation Service last autumn.
– Now we have carried out an inquiry into where it is possible to place the prison, as a basis for the dialogue with the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, says Kenny Hansson.
Two of the locations are near Hässleholm (by Röinge); one location is in Vinslöv; two are in Sösdala and one in Ignaberga / Röinge.
The Swedish Prison and Probation Service requires the prison to be a maximum of one kilometre away from a bus stop or train station and the area should be about 30 hectares.
There are other requirements, including that there may only be low buildings near the prison. There can’t be any industrial areas or large watercourses near the prison.
– Hässleholm municipality has lost several government agencies and jobs in recent years. A larger prison would provide new jobs in Hässleholm, says Lars Johnsson (M), Chairman of the Municipal Council.
The Swedish Prison and Probation Service has 12,000 employees
The Swedish Prison and Probation Service is a government agency responsible for:
32 detention centres
42 prisons
34 probation centres (the probation centres are responsible for convicted persons with sentences to be carried outside the prison, for example probation or community service)
16,000 clients (3,900 of them in prison) per day.
90,000 inmates and other clients are transported in one year (between court, detention centres and prisons). The Swedish Prison and Probation Service also provides transport services for the Police and the Swedish Migration Agency. 4,700 of the clients are transported abroad.
The figures are for 2018.
In 2019, the budget was 9.3 billion crowns.
Source: The Swedish Prison and probation Service
