36 | Annual Report 2018 Monitoring activities — adults Theme for 2018 Exclusion of inmates from association with other inmates in Prison and Probation Service institutions Normally, it is possible for inmates in state and local prisons to spend time together, but an inmate may be excluded from association with other inmates, among other things to prevent escape, criminal offences or violent behaviour or in order to uphold safety in the institution. Inmates may also choose voluntary exclusion from association. This often happens if an inmate feels threatened by fellow inmates. An inmate who is excluded from association is placed in solitary confinement, and isolation may have adverse psychological effects. It is therefore important that the duration of exclusions is as short as possible and that exclusions are carried out as gently as possible. As part of the theme for 2018, the Ombudsman’s monitoring teams visited four closed prisons, four open prisons and nine local prisons, focusing especially on Examples of important conclusions • Exclusions from association in Prison and Probation Service institutions are generally carried out in accordance with the rules, but there is room for improvement of the documentation. • There is no general guide for staff in Prison and Probation Service institutions on how to handle voluntary exclusions. • The existing guide on forced exclusions from association does not cover all relevant topics. The Ombudsman generally recommends • that state and local prisons increase their focus on precise and adequate documentation in reports and weekly records concerning exclusions from association and ensure regular quality control • that state and local prisons and the Department of Prisons and Probation monitor developments in the use of forced and voluntary exclusion from association and analyse the causes of the developments Please see the Ombudsman’s specific recommendations (extracts) in the table on pages 38-45. • the specific conditions for inmates excluded from association • the quality of reports on exclusions from association Reports on the themes for our monitoring visits in recent years can be found at www.ombudsmanden.dk by clicking the small globe icon at the top of the site, selecting ‘English’ and choosing the heading ‘About the Ombudsman’ and then ‘Publications’.