the prison and probation service 42 occasions during the year, stopped receiving remand prisoners.25 One consequence of this was that individuals held on remand had remained in the Police Authority’s police custody facilities.26 At the time of compiling this report, the Parliamentary Ombudsman had not yet made a decision in the case. Isolation of inmates in remand prisons Over the past 30 years, Sweden has repeatedly received international criticism for the conditions for inmates held on remand. The criticism has concerned long remand periods and the widespread use of restrictions. Restrictions can lead to inmates being isolated, which in turn can lead to both mental and physical problems. In spring 2017, the Parliamentary Ombudsmen conducted a series of OPCAT inspections, and then stated that the Prison and Probation Service should ensure that the time that inmates associate with others is reported and documented in a consistent manner. Furthermore, the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman stated that for inmates who, for various reasons, do not associate with others, isolation-breaking measures should be reported and documented. Finally, the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman requested that the Prison and Probation Service should respond on how it follows up on the time inmates associate with others and the use of isolation-breaking measures.27 The response was received in June 2018 and what emerged from this led the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman to follow up on the issues of holding remand prisoners in association places and the use of isolation-breaking measures in an own-initiative inquiry. Within the framework of the own-initiative inquiry, the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman held a dialogue meeting in March 2019 with representatives of the Prison and Probation Service.28 In a decision on 5 February 2020, the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman directed very serious criticism at the Prison and Probation Service because it has not progressed any further in the work of preventing remand prisoners being isolated. Subsequently, the Parliamentary Ombudsmen also published a thematic report entitled Isolation of inmates held on remand. A summary of the report can be found in Section 8. 4.3 Cases where responses from the Prison and Probation Service have been requested Following the inspection of the prison in Haparanda, the Parliamentary Ombudsman has requested the Prison and Probation Service respond with information on how it has worked with certain issues that have received attention. Furthermore, in 2018, the Parliamentary Ombudsman requested a response following the inspections of the prison in Saltvik, the remand prison 25 Remand prisons in Falun and Malmö, ref. nos. O 30-2019 and O 27-2019. 26 Remand prison in Falun, ref. no. O 30-2019. 27 See the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s report from the remand prison in Huddinge, ref. no. 416-2017. 28 See the Parliamentary Ombudsmen’s ref. no. O 7-2018.