The trouble with renting prison spaces in Kosovo continues, and SF (Socialistisk Folkeparti) believes it is necessary to find an alternative solution. SF is frustrated with the challenges of establishing a prison in Kosovo, which is intended to house 300 foreign criminals facing deportation from Denmark. On Thursday, the proposal suffered another setback in Kosovo’s parliament, where it did not garner a majority. The Danish Parliament must now realize that a “plan B” needs to be found, says SF’s legal spokesperson Karina Lorentzen. “We must acknowledge that it is not the best idea to leave this responsibility to other countries.” SF was originally part of the agreement aimed at alleviating the pressure on Danish prisons, which are struggling with both lack of space and shortage of staff. The plan was to rent 300 prison spaces in Kosovo for foreign criminals facing deportation, thereby creating more room in Danish prisons.
On Friday, Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard told TV 2 News that the vote in Kosovo on Thursday was a “small bump in the road.” “From Denmark’s perspective, we have an agreement with Kosovo. It is the responsibility of the Kosovar government to ensure that it is approved in their parliament,” said the minister. But SF sees the matter more seriously. When the prison agreement constantly encounters obstacles, the pressure on Danish prisons increases. “We are now in a situation where we must develop a plan B for what to do when this solution does not materialize,” says Karina Lorentzen. The party therefore suggests increasing the use of ankle monitors to free up capacity in the prisons. Today, several convicts are sent home while waiting to serve their sentences. If they are instead given ankle monitors during the waiting period, they can start serving their sentences more quickly, which can free up space in the prisons, SF proposes. This could potentially free up 3-400 prison spaces, equivalent to an entire prison, points out Karina Lorentzen.
In the Danish People’s Party (Dansk Folkeparti), there are also frustrations over the development. Legal spokesperson Peter Kofod wants the government to present new solutions to the parties behind the agreement so that capacity problems in the prisons can be resolved. “Alternatively, we must find another country for the prison, because we have been waiting for what feels like 100 years without any progress,” he says. However, the party still sees the value in the agreement and has no plans to withdraw because of the issues.