NORWEGIAN PARLIAMENTARY OMBUDSMAN National Preventive Mechanism ANNUAL REPORT 2020 56 Organisations that participated at the hearing: The Minister of Health and Care Services, Bent Høye, and the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Jøran Kallmyr, during the public hearing in the Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs concerning the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s Special Report to the Storting on Solitary confinement and lack of human contact in Norwegian prisons. Dialogue with the authorities Throughout the year, the NPM has held both digital and physical meetings with Norwegian authorities pertaining to a range of themes (for an exhaustive list of meetings, see Activities 2020). An important part of our dialogue with the authorities relates to how the institutions work to follow up on recom­ mendations after visits. In January 2020, the Storting’s Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs held a public hearing concerning the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s Special Report to the Storting on solitary confinement and lack of human contact in Norwegian prisons.1 The report is based on findings from the NPM's visits to nineteen Norwegian prisons over five years. The findings, which revealed extensive and harmful use of solitary confinement, were so grave that we chose to compile them in a Special Report, which is the Parliamentary Ombuds­ man’s most powerful instrument, and present the report to the Storting. 1 › Red Cross › Council for Mental Health › Norwegian Human Rights Institution › WayBack › Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud › Norwegian Prison and Probation Officer’s Union › Union of Norwegian Correctional Services Employees › Norwegian Bar Association The report highlighted a number of critical issues. Among other things, the Ombudsman pointed out several weaknesses in the authorities’ control of the use of solitary confinement, including weak­ nesses in regulations, procedures, documentation and base data. The report also reviewed the extensive knowledge basis concerning physical and mental harm to health caused by solitary confinement. The objective of the report was to make the Storting aware of the risk of inhuman or degrading treatment, which solitary confinement in prison represents. The fact that the report resulted in a public hearing in the Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs shows the Committee’s emphasis on the seriousness of the situation described in the report. At the hearing, the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Jøran Kallmyr, acknowledged that the findings in the report were serious and would be followed up. The Minister of Health and Care The Parliamentary Ombudsman's Special Report to the Storting on solitary confinement and lack of human contact in Norwegian prisons, Document 4:3 (2018-2019). See also https://www.sivilombudsmannen.no/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ SOM_S%C3%A6rskilt-melding_ENG_WEB.pdf