the parliamentary ombudsmen’s opcat activities 17 • conduct a meaningful dialogue with the persons deprived of their liberty and with representatives of the authorities at both the local and central levels, • monitor the working conditions of staff who work in the different facilities and obtain knowledge about how their working practices affect the situation of the persons deprived of their liberty. Selection of inspection objects OPCAT activities are planned on a six-month basis. The focus of the plan for the years 2011–2014 was to inspect places other than those the ombudsmen had recently inspected in their traditional activities, that the inspections would be conducted at places all over Sweden and that remand prisons and police detention facilities would be prioritised. The reasons for prioritising remand prisons and police detention facilities was that their inmates are often in a vulnerable situation and have a very limited contact with the outside world. Inspection objects have also been chosen on the basis of a need to further examine certain questions raised in the ombudsmen’s complaints cases. Reports in the media have also led to the ombudsmen visiting certain places. When planning inspections, it is also important to continuously monitor the work of other supervisory bodies. Working method The elements and the procedure involved in an OPCAT inspection are the same regardless of the type of institution concerned. This contributes to the quality, comparability and credibility of both the performance and reporting of activities. Conversations with persons deprived of their liberty are prioritised and are conducted in the form of interviews. The information that is obtained during an inspection includes staffing and treatment, material conditions, opportunities for contact with the outside world, information about rights, coercive measures and opportunities to spend time outdoors. Inspections are both announced and unannounced. Just over one third of the ombudsmen’s inspections in the period 2011–2014 were unannounced. One lesson learned is that inspections that are announced can often be implemented effectively. In order to increase the credibility and effectiveness of inspection activities, there should be a greater number of unannounced inspections.4 Such inspections paint a more realistic picture of the inspection objects and any problems. According to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture 4 See JO 2013/14 p. 36. Other supervisory bodies The Swedish Health and Social Care Inspectorate’s (IVO) remit includes the supervision of social services, which means that it can inspect LVU homes and LVM homes. The purpose of this supervision is one of inspection, prevention and promotion. IVO’s supervision also focuses on patient safety pursuant to healthcare legislation. IVO supervises the healthcare provided at institutions run by the Swedish Prison and Probation Service and SiS. The Swedish Schools Inspectorate, which supervises schools, scrutinises the educational activities provided by the Swedish Prison and Probation Service and LVU homes.