Selected topics from 2015 People restrained in a restraint bed must be under constant supervision. The NPM also found that some prison inmates had been so affected by solitary confinement that they had asked to be restrained in a restraint bed so that they would not be left on their own. This is a serious indication of what it feels like to be in solitary confinement in a security cell. The police custody facilities are no longer allowed to use restraint beds, but the custody facilities and immigration detention centre at Trandum is authorised to use the BodyCuff. This is a type of transport restraint system that is fastened around the wrists (with handcuffs), ankles and stomach and where straps between the hands and feet can be tightened to pull the hands and feet towards the stomach or back, respectively. This coercive measure is primarily used in connection with people being escorted out of the country, on planes etc. The NPM found no instances of non-regulated use of the BodyCuff during its visits in 2015, but did call for systematic registration of its use and the use of other coercive measures when escorting foreign nationals out of Norway. Handcuffs Some police custody facilities were found during visits to have hooks to which detainees could be handcuffed to the wall above a bench in the waiting room (’the registration room’). This is a practice that has previously been criticised by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), and the NPM recommends that these hooks be removed. The recommendation was, in most cases, speedily followed up by the custody facilities in question. During visits to prisons, inmates on remand were found to have missed appointments with the specialist health service because they were wearing handcuffs and health personnel concluded that the 19 examination could not be carried out with the inmate in handcuffs. This could constitute ill-treatment, and the NPM recommends a change in practice. Documentation of the use of coercive measures The use of coercive measures must be documented through written administrative decisions and by logging the sequence of events. This is important because it provides a basis for expedient internal control and ensures a real possibility to file a complaint. Documentation is also crucial for ensuring that the supervisory authorities are able to control the use of coercive measures. The different supervisory councils, supervisory commissions and the County Governor carry out important preventive work and must be able to check compliance with laws and regulations and that proper conditions are ensured for the people concerned. During the visits, some major differences were found in practice and in the quality of documentation in administrative decisions and supervision logs. These factors should be rectified through clear internal guidelines and regular training of employees. The NPM made several recommendations to that effect and also made a recommendation concerning patients’ right of access to use-of-force records and the opportunity to enclose their own comments to the records.

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