this task. Whether it would be possible to establish a patient-therapist relationship however remained questionable at the present time. Celle prison and Salinenmoor prison had been independent facilities at the time in question and linked in neither organisational nor staffing terms. Proper, professional, neutral management of the inmate had been and continued to be guaranteed at all times. The danger emanating from him had been effectively countered by transferring him from Salinenmoor prison to Celle prison. The danger for female officers emanating from the inmate would not have been any different in a prison in another Federal Land. The supervisory authority was therefore unable to share the Commission’s assessment. According to the information available to the Joint Commission, a former inmate of Celle prison who has already been released was in solitary confinement for 15 years. The Commission inspected the inmate’s personal file. The file showed that the former criminal convict had been placed in solitary confinement in the security wing of Celle prison in 1996. It was not until 11 December 2008 that the Lower Saxony Ministry of Justice stated that an assessment of the question of the continuation of solitary confinement was intended. The inmate was therefore held in solitary confinement for twelve years before his continuing dangerousness was subjected to an expert assessment. The file said nothing about why an expert was not consulted until after twelve years’ solitary confinement in order to examine the need to continue his confinement. The inmate had been in detention since 1979 with brief interruptions, almost 15 years of which had been spent in solitary confinement. On 3 May 2011, he was transferred into the normal prison regime in Rosdorf prison to prepare for his release. His release was scheduled for 22 November 2011, so that there were only roughly six-and-a-half months to prepare for it. It is not possible to suitably prepare for release in this short period, particularly with long-serving convicts and inmates who have been separated for longer periods. It would also not have been possible to build up trust with a member of the psychological service in this short period, and thus to resolve the causes of the offence. The Joint Commission is aware that it was also not possible to resolve the causes of the offence in Celle prison because of the lack of willingness on the part of the inmate to cooperate. Nonetheless, it should be taken into account that the particular circumstances of his prolonged solitary confinement made it difficult to develop a trusting relationship with the officers around him, which would have been a precondition for intensive treatment. It could be seen from these documents that Rosdorf prison has made efforts with regard to preparing inmates for a life in liberty in the short time available (includ- 40