Using clichés like “dedicated humanitarian,” the woman convicted by the district court managed to get a job with the Swedish Prison and Probation Service in Gothenburg. However, her real job was to secretly help an imprisoned gang leader. This is revealed by P4 Skaraborg’s investigation into several cases of infiltration within the agency in western Sweden.
– It is a very worrying development, it is extremely important for us to address these threats, says Martin Holmgren, director general of the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, to the tax-funded SR.
The current case is just one of many where relatives and friends of dangerous criminals have infiltrated the prison service in recent years. Not least, young women have been used as infiltrators.
Earlier this year, the woman was convicted of gross misconduct, and in January 2024, the case will be taken up in the Court of Appeal. Suspicions against the woman began in the fall of 2021, when her colleagues became suspicious of her.
In her work at the detention center, the woman broke several rules, including having solo contact with several inmates. In particular, with the 29-year-old gang leader she was trying to save.
The 29-year-old is involved in a high-profile murder case, and letters between the gang leader and the now-convicted woman found in her home contain instructions on how to influence witnesses.
A known problem
An internal report from the Swedish Prison and Probation Service indicates that there are currently at least ten cases of infiltration, including attempted infiltration, within the Swedish Prison Service.
It is also noted that one of the reasons for the situation is shortcomings in the recruitment process. When interviewing applicants, employers are often reluctant to ask uncomfortable questions, for example about the applicant’s background and any criminal record.
The Swedish Prison and Probation Service confirms that it will have to expand significantly in the future due to the acute shortage of places, and that it will have to hire several thousand people a year. This logically carries the risk of exacerbating the problem of infiltration.
