Denmark: Immigrant gangs rule in prison

Denmark: Immigrant gangs rule in prison

Strong gang members control some jail units, also in the Nyborg State Prison, report DR Fyn.

In the large common units, with up to 30 inmates, the strong immigrant gangs decide for other inmates.

They rule with threats and violence, with regular beating and with various rules, which are to be respected. The tone is so harsh, that it is actually the dominating inmates who make the rules for everyday life in prison.

For example, prisoners may not prepare pork in the kitchens, because the foreign gang members are Muslim.

Bo Henrik Sørensen, prison staff representative, told DR Fyn that "if anybody speaks to us in private, they are beaten. This prevents us from having good contact with the prisoners, so we can work with them."

"The solution could be that we would have smaller units, but in a prison like Nybork, it will require reconstruction," says security head Michael Gørup.

In Horsens, Vestre and Vridsløselille prisons, there are the same problems as in Nyborg.

And according to the prison staff it's hard to get an overview of who's beating who, when the immigrant gangs aren't as well organized as the bikers, for example.

Danish People's Party justice spokesperson Peter Skaarup says the new justice minister, Lars Barfoed (K), should stop the threats, violence and attacks by immigrant gangs in the prisons.

"I will immediately contact the justice minister and ask him to ensure that the prison personnel take steps against the immigrant gangs immediately. At the same time, I demand that there would be an investigation if similar situations apply in other prisons in the country," he said in a press release.

Karina Lorentzen, justice spokesperson for the Social People's Party (SF), says it's 'pathetic' that the DPP is going to the minister with an issue that "Peter Skaarup had every opportunity to respond to earlier."

Lorentzen said in a press release that the SF had called the justice minister for consultation about gang problems in the prisons in the past, a move she's repeating for this current case.

The director of the Prison and Probation Service, William Rentzmann, told DR that the reports of violence and threats don't give a 'complete picture' of the situation in Danish prisons. He stressed that the employees are the ones who still have the power in the prisons.

Sources: TV2, Kristeligt-Dagblad (Danish), h/t Uriasposten