Children Placed In Jail Cells Due To Lack Of Emergency Housing

There are cases where 13- to 14-year-old children have been placed in jail cells at the Hafnarfjörður police station for up to 48 hours, reports RÚV. The Children’s Ombudsman says this is unacceptable.

Following the fire at the Stuðlar treatment facility last October — which claimed the life of a 17-year-old boy — no progress has been made in establishing a new emergency housing facility. Instead, at-risk youth are being held at the police station in Hafnarfjörður.

Emergency accommodation is intended as a crisis solution for teenagers who pose a risk to themselves or others. Previously, such cases were handled at Stuðlar, but since its closure, children have been detained in police cells. Salvör Nordal, the Children’s Ombudsman, says this is unacceptable. “We have expressed our strong opposition to the ministry and did so in mid-November, stating that we are completely against housing children in jail cells,” says Salvör. “These are jail cells, and they are entirely unsuitable for children.”

There are documented cases of children as young as 13 being held there for up to 48 hours.

Plans to build a new facility for children with complex needs have been stalled since 2015. Despite a 2018 declaration to construct a treatment centre in Garðabær and a failed attempt to open another facility in Mosfellsbær last year, no concrete progress has been made.

With no long-term solution in sight, beds will be rented at the Vogur rehabilitation centre for the remainder of the year. Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Ombudsman, Kristín Benediktsdóttir, has launched an investigation into the case. The matter is a priority for the office. Among other things, interviews have been conducted with children who have been held there, focusing on their well-being and living conditions.