Ombudsman wants alternative prison work to Christmas crafts

In some Danish detention centers, inmates are primarily offered work like folding stars and mousetraps, which often ends up discarded. This causes dissatisfaction among inmates who desire work with real value, according to a report by the Parliamentary Ombudsman, Christian Britten Lundblad. He emphasizes the importance of meaningful work to help prepare inmates for life after release. Lundblad recommends that detention facilities offer work that provides utility and isn’t merely discarded. The Ombudsman visited seven detention centers and three prisons in 2024, finding that prisons generally offer a broader range of work. The facilities visited reported challenges in providing workshop-based work. Besides work opportunities, the report assessed visiting conditions, finding them generally satisfactory, though some visiting rooms need to be more inviting and child-friendly. The Ombudsman suggests enhancing these spaces to facilitate activities between incarcerated parents and children.