Special Report to the Storting Document 4:3 (2018–2019) 8 II Summary It is well-documented in both old and more recent research literature that isolation can be detrimental to health. A large proportion of individuals who are isolated experience some form of physical or mental problems. The harmful effects of isolation can be immediate, and the risk increases with the length of isolation. For several years, Norwegian public authorities have been criticised internationally for the use of solitary confinement in Norwegian prisons. As recently as in June 2018, the UN Committee against Torture expressed great concern about the extent of prolonged isolation, and that the conditions for use of solitary confinement were not sufficiently clear. In the same year, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) visited Norway and recommended in its report that inmates held in isolation should be offered structured activities and have meaningful human ­contact on a daily basis. The committee was ­particularly concerned about the isolation of inmates with mental health problems. Since 2014, the Parliamentary Ombudsman has visited 19 high-security prisons in Norway. This special report is a compilation of our findings relating to solitary confinement. The purpose of the report is to draw the Storting’s attention to the risk of violation of the prohibition against torture and inhuman treatment that isolation in prison entails. There are major weaknesses in the authorities’ control of the use of solitary confinement in prisons. This report documents grave failings in the quality of statistical information on use of isolation. For many years, reliable and relevant figures have not been available to describe the total extent of solitary confinement. At the same time, our findings show that isolation is used ­extensively in Norwegian prisons. This is particularly the case of isolation that cannot be ascribed to the individual inmate’s behaviour. Norwegian legislation does not reflect that solitary confinement should only be used in exceptional cases and for as short a time as possible. In some cases, inmates are held in solitary confinement for a very long time, contrary to human rights standards. Inadequate follow-up of inmates in solitary confinement is also documented in this report. It is necessary to follow up everybody who is held in solitary confinement, although some are more vulnerable than others. Particularly young people, minors, people who have been traumatised or have language problems, and inmates with mental health issues belong to this latter group. It is documented in the report that inmates with serious mental health challenges are held in solitary confinement under censurable conditions for months, sometimes years. There is an absence of legislation and central guidance for staff follow-up and supervision of inmates in solitary confinement. There is also an absence of statutes and central professional guidelines to ensure proper follow-up of inmates in solitary confinement by medical personnel. Furthermore, there is limited competence among medical personnel about the harmful effects of lack of human contact, and about how to prevent or remedy such harmful effects. The existing scheme for control by the state ­authorities of the use of solitary confinement has major weak­ nesses. The supervisory councils do not have a ­sufficiently clear mandate or the resources and expertise needed for systematic and regular supervision to ensure that inmates have legal safeguards. The lack of human contact in Norwegian prisons is partly a result of factors controlled by public authorities and partly factors controlled by the prisons themselves Our findings indicate that there is a need to strengthen the work of the Correctional Service in order to prevent situations and incidents that trigger solitary ­confinement. 9