8 THE PARLIAMENTARY OMBUDSMEN’S INSPEC TIONS OF REMAND PRISONS 2015–2019 corridor during the day (10 to 12 meters long and approximately 2 meters wide). In the corridor there is a small, wall-mounted table intended for two people and a TV with video games. At most, seven inmates could associate with one another in the area during the day. Following the inspection, the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman questioned that the space can be described as a department and that the Prison and Probation Service should consider whether the cells in question should constitute ordinary places. She then stated the following: “If the Prison and Probation Service nevertheless considers that there are such compelling reasons that the cells should continue to be used as ordinary places, the agency should immediately review inmates’ opportunities to associate with others. In my opinion, it is disgraceful for inmates to associate with one another in a corridor, and it is remarkable that the Prison and Probation Service expects inmates to eat their meals in this very confined space. I would like to reiterate once again that the Prison and Probation Service’s basic task includes conducting an operation by such means that the negative consequences of being deprived of one’s liberty are counteracted (chap. 1 § 5 of the Remand Prisons Act). For this reason, the authority should take the necessary measures to enable the inmates in Department 1: 5 to be allowed to associate with one another in the same way as the inmates in the other departments of the remand prison branch.”27 8.5 The association remand prison in Helsingborg The Helsingborg Remand Prison, Berga Remand Prison Branch is an association remand prison established in a former prison. This means that the inmates are provided with the opporA remand prison located in tunity to associate with one another a former prison gives signifor a large part of ficantly better opportunities the day. Following for association the inspection, the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman stated that there is a shortage of association departments in the Prison and Probation Service’s remand prison operations. This instead leads to the agency offering isolation-breaking measures to inmates who do not have restrictions. If they had been placed in association departments, there would not be the need for such measures. She stated the following: “In this context, the operations in the Berga Remand Prison Branch are a positive example of how the Prison and Probation Service can organise its operations to provide inmates with the opportunity to associate with one another. By establishing the association remand prison in premises that were previously used as a prison, inmates without restrictions are given significantly better conditions to associate with other inmates, compared with being placed in an association place or a restriction place. An inmate in the Berga Prison Branch has the opportunity to associate with other inmates for seven hours a day on weekdays. The experience from the Berga Prison 27 See the Parliamentary Ombudsmen’s report dnr O 39-2019 pp. 11 and 12. – 50 –