National Preventive Mechanism Sixth Annual Report 2014–15 Introduction by Nick Hardwick Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons This annual report describes the work of the 20 inspection and monitoring bodies that make up the UK National Preventive Mechanism (NPM). The NPM fulfils the UK’s obligations arising from its status as a party to the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) to ensure the independent, preventive monitoring of all places of detention and carry out other effective preventive measures. The report focuses first on solitary confinement and isolation, the most restrictive form of custody any NPM member monitors. Second, it reviews the progress the NPM itself has been able to make in strengthening its own governance and effectiveness in order to share best practice and develop a consistent approach to tackling common concerns. Our work on solitary confinement and isolation is a long-term project that began this year with developing a picture of how it is used across the range of establishments we monitor throughout the four nations of the UK. In the next stage, NPM members will aim to develop some consistent standards and methodology for monitoring its use. 4 In many cases, detainees are isolated legitimately to prevent harm or provide a calm environment that is in their best interest. However, prolonged solitary confinement or isolation can also have a detrimental effect on a detainee’s mental health, exacerbate behaviour problems and increase the risks of their ill-treatment. It is already clear that poor governance, inconsistent practice and a soothing terminology allow some individuals to be held in solitary confinement for long periods without adequate safeguards – and that includes some of the most vulnerable people in detention, such as children and mentally ill people. Solitary confinement and isolation go under many names: solitary confinement, isolation, separation, care and separation, unemployed disruptive, single unlock, loss of association, losses, basic for violence, basic, group separation, low stimulus, time out, intensive care suite, therapeutic isolation, single-person wards, enforced segregation, removal from association, temporary confinement, separation and reintegration, close supervision centres, special cells, confined to room, duty of care. There is a risk that some of this terminology can obscure the seriousness of the practice and the need for rigorous monitoring and governance.