SUMMARY prison. In addition, it is not acceptable that there are no such provisions at all regarding remand prisons. As such, this has led to inmates being completely denied this right in some cases, or that inmates receive significantly inferior access to association with other inmates in remand prisons in comparison with inmates in regular prisons. The Remand Prison and Restrictions Government Inquiry has submitted a proposal that a provision should be introduced in the Remand Prisons Act which states that adults held with restrictions should always be entitled to at least two hours’ association with another person every day. The Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman shares the inquiry’s view of the need for such a provision, but emphasises that inmates who are placed in segregation should also be provided with this right. Bearing in mind the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, two hours of isolation-breaking measures constitutes precisely the limit to where an inmate is considered as being held in solitary confinement. In order to reduce such risks for inmates, the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman states that the minimum requirements for the Swedish Prison and Probation Service should be set higher. In the opinion of the CPT, the objective should be for all inmates to be provided with the opportunity to spend at least eight hours a day outside their cells and, in connection with this, be provided with the opportunity to participate in purposeful activities of a varied nature. This opinion should – in the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman’s view – be taken into account in in the preparation of future legislation. The Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman’s statement in short The Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman’s statements can be summarised by the following points: • In 2018, 83 per cent of inmates with restrictions and 76 per cent of young inmates with restrictions were held in conditions amounting to solitary confinement. The corresponding figure for inmates who did not have restrictions was 33 per cent. • Isolation risks affecting not only inmates who have restrictions imposed upon them, but also inmates who have a legal right of association with other inmates. – 13 – 1