5 SWEDEN HAS RECEIVED INTERNATIONAL CRITICISM OF THE CONDITIONS FOR INMATES HELD ON REMAND “The way remand prisons are built today, there is basically no space for inmates spending time together. We therefore propose that the Prison and Probation Service review the premises of all remand prisons in order to enable at least one communal space per 15 inmates. However, since the conditions at the various remand prisons vary, the task of achieving at least two hours of human contact per day can be solved in different ways. Co-sitting and association with other inmates in a communal space are both relatively cost-effective solutions for breaking the isolation of inmates who are not in association departments. However, it is important to additionally offer isolation-breaking contacts with other people than just inmates. Not least, this applies to the relatively few women who are in remand prisons. Since the main rule is that an inmate should not associate with other inmates of the opposite sex, women’s opportunities for co-sitting and association with others are limited. We believe that, in departments that are not association departments, there must be one full-time member of staff per 15 inmates who is solely tasked with working with isolation-breaking measures. Each member of staff should then have access to a special area set up with equipment for different kinds of activities such as board games, video games and various materials for different kinds of creative activities.”13 The report was then circulated for formal consultation which expired on 30 November 2016. At the beginning of 2020, the matter was still being processed within the Government Offices. 13 See SOU 2016: 2 pp. 142 and 143. – 32 –