MONITORING PLACES OF DETENTION : A PRACTICAL GUIDE 109 Comments The visiting team should pay particular attention to detainees held, for whatever reason, in a regime of isolation (no contact with other detainees, limited or no contact with the outside world). Placing a human being in solitary confinement is a serious sanction which, if applied for an extended period of time and/or if repeated, can constitute inhuman or degrading treatment or even an act of torture. It can also make a prisoner more vulnerable to such treatment. Isolation must therefore be exceptional and limited in duration; it must be as short as possible. Solitary confinement must be accompanied by a series of guarantees, such as systems for review and appeal. Visiting teams may be involved in oversight of the extent to which these systems provide adequate protection for the prisoner. Isolation may sometimes need to be used as a protective measure. In that case, the prisoner’s regime should be less restrictive than that which applies to a prisoner isolated as a disciplinary sanction. Any system for review should also apply to such prisoners. Juveniles should never be held under solitary confinement. Solitary confinement should not: ■ Be indeterminate ■ Be prolonged ■ Be repeated Reference points ■ What is the maximum length permitted for solitary confinement? ■ On what date was isolation imposed? 1