NCJ Number
119102
Date Published
1988
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Inmates' legal rights can be secured in some ways by rules, control, and appeal boards, but the real legal protection will always depend on the people who make grievance decisions; correctional personnel knowledge, skill, and attitude are crucial.
Abstract
In the past in Denmark, inmate disciplinary decisions were made relatively high up in the correctional administrative hierarchy, ensuring protection against abuse of power but making decisions longer and costlier. Currently, Denmark places inmate disciplinary and grievance decisions in the hands of prison staff, ensuring that decisions are made quickly and cheaply, however with a greater risk of abuse of power. Inmate legal protection can be established through laws or orders. Provisions governing various situations can be contained in them to guarantee uniformity. Inmate legal protection can also be secured through one or more boards of appeal, possibly independent units. Inmates may serve on a board of appeals. In Holland, this has resulted in fewer complaints, as the inmates themselves reject many complaints as groundless. In a few countries, including Denmark, an independent parliamentary authority (ombudsman) has been established to handle complaints.