The escape was discovered during routine roll call the next morning, prison officials said. Assistant prison director Åsmund Steine told NRK Vestland that surveillance footage shows the inmate climbing over the fence. Steine described the inmate as serving a short sentence with no history of violence or serious crime.
The prison, which holds up to 90 inmates in two units, is a low-security facility based on trust, and inmates are not locked in at night. Steine said there are one to two escape attempts per year, which he considers a risk of such facilities. The prison will review routines but the design is for open detention, he added.
We have him on camera climbing over the fence.
The inmate's whereabouts remain unknown, and the motive for the escape is unclear. The escape will be reported to the police and could lead to a new unconditional sentence, according to Steine. However, turning oneself in could be a mitigating circumstance.
Operations leader Steinar Hausvik of Bergen police told NRK Vestland that police are not conducting active operations to locate the man because he is not considered a danger to society. The prison is cooperating with police to recapture him, Steine said.
This is a person serving a short sentence and who has no history of violence or other serious crime.
We are a low-security prison that relies on trust and that does not lock inmates in at night. That means if you really want to, you can climb over the fence and escape.
Turn yourself in before it gets worse, and come back to serve your sentence. Only when you have completed your sentence can you take part in society again.
When you avoid punishment by escaping like this, it will be reported to the police and you can expect a new unconditional sentence for the escape itself.
But if you turn yourself in, it can be a mitigating circumstance.
We are not doing any operational work on the escape now, as we do not consider him a danger to society.