8. Monitoring Risk In Specific Situations of solitary confinement. In police custody, detainees might be held in solitary confinement and subjected to abuse to intimidate them, elicit co-operation or extract a confession. There are also particular risks of SGBV if other detainees/prisoners are employed in a disciplinary capacity, or in facilities where there are informal systems of discipline among detainees/prisoners that are not properly managed by the authorities. Additionally, in some countries, victims of SGBV and those at risk of SGBV might be placed in segregation for their own protection, and sometimes at their own request. However, removing a detainee/prisoner from the general population can also place them in danger of abuse from staff, especially when contact with the outside world is limited, and particularly in cases of solitary confinement. Segregating individuals because they belong to a group that is vulnerable to SGBV may further stigmatize them and put them at additional risk when they are returned to the general prison population. This may be especially dangerous for LGBTI persons or those who have committed specific types of crimes, such as rape. International standards are clear that the use of protective segregation is only justified in exceptional circumstances, for the shortest possible time, and with adequate procedural safeguards. The practice of segregation and other forms of discipline can also be discriminatory when used routinely for certain groups of detainees/prisoners. In considering the use of segregation in the context of SGBV, monitors should consider the following: • Under what circumstances can detainees/prisoners be segregated/placed in solitary confinement? Is this clearly regulated? • Is segregation/solitary confinement ever used as a protective measure for victims of SGBV, or for those deemed to be at risk? If so, is this decision made in consultation with the individual concerned? • Is there any indication that segregation and solitary confinement, or other disciplinary measures, are disproportionately used against certain groups of detainees/prisoners? • How is the use of segregation/solitary confinement regulated? What procedural safeguards are in place against SGBV and other abuses? • Are juveniles, pregnant women, women with infants and breastfeeding mothers, as well as prisoners with mental or physical disabilities, ever subjected to solitary confinement? • Do those held in solitary confinement or segregation still have the right to family contact and contact with their lawyer, including through visits? 52