Section one Introduction Context Last year’s annual report provided a detailed review of the NPM’s thematic study of the use of isolation and solitary confinement in the United Kingdom. Throughout 2015–16 we developed this work further by producing comprehensive guidance for the monitoring of isolation in detention. This guidance will be finalised and published in 2016–17. It will enable NPM members to monitor with more rigour and consistency, using a common approach, based on international human rights standards. We have chosen for the next NPM thematic study the issue of transitions between different forms of custodial settings. We know that many people are transferred from one form of custody to another, often crossing jurisdictional boundaries. The study of these transitions will enable the NPM to again identify common lessons and to develop a shared understanding of effective scrutiny across different organisational boundaries. All NPM members have been actively engaged in shaping and commenting on legislation and policy changes affecting the places they monitor. This is an important aspect of the work of the NPM – not just monitoring places of detention, but contributing to the prevention of ill‑treatment through influencing legislation and policy. Internationally, the NPM has continued to collaborate with a wide range of other organisations: NPMs, academics, NGOs, international human rights bodies, countries seeking to establish or develop their NPM, and many more. The adoption of the Nelson Mandela Rules by the UN General Assembly shows the importance of the monitoring of all prisons throughout the world in the 21st century. The NPM has a vital role to play in ensuring that these international standards are translated into practical action on a daily basis in our places of detention. These Rules represent a significant step forward for prison policy. The NPM will seek to promote these standards and apply them through its work. I would like to thank all the members of the NPM who have been active throughout the year in supporting the work of the NPM. I am grateful, too, to the members of staff in the coordination team, who have made such a significant contribution to our work this year. I am delighted that John Wadham has begun his tenure as the independent chair of the NPM with such energy and enthusiasm. We are looking forward to working with him in the busy year that lies ahead. David Strang HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland NPM Chair, January to May 2016 5