–3–
7.
Secondly, a differentiation should be made according to the intended occupancy level of the
accommodation in question (i.e. whether it is a single cell or a cell designed for multiple
occupancy). The term “multiple occupancy” also needs to be defined. A double cell is arguably
different from a cell designed for holding for instance six or more inmates. As regards large-scale
dormitories, accommodating dozens and sometimes even up to one hundred inmates,3 the CPT has
fundamental objections which are not only linked to the question of living space per inmate, but to
the concept as such.
In its 11th General Report4 the CPT criticised the very principle of accommodation in largecapacity dormitories; frequently such dormitories hold prisoners in extremely cramped and
insalubrious conditions. In addition to a lack of privacy, the Committee has found that the risk of
intimidation and violence in such dormitories is high, and that proper staff control is extremely
difficult. Further, an appropriate allocation of individual prisoners, based on a case-by-case risk and
needs assessment, becomes an almost impossible task.5 The CPT has consequently long advocated a
move away from large-capacity dormitories towards smaller living units.6
8.
Thirdly, the CPT has also taken into consideration the regime offered to prisoners when
assessing cell sizes in light of its standards (see paragraph 21 below).
The CPT’s minimum standard for personal living space
9.
The CPT developed in the 1990s a basic “rule of thumb” standard for the minimum amount
of living space that a prisoner should be afforded in a cell.
6m² of living space for a single-occupancy cell
4m² of living space per prisoner in a multiple-occupancy cell
10.
As the CPT has made clear in recent years, the minimum standard of living space should
exclude the sanitary facilities within a cell. Consequently, a single-occupancy cell should measure
6m² plus the space required for a sanitary annexe (usually 1m² to 2m²). Equally, the space taken up
by the sanitary annexe should be excluded from the calculation of 4m² per person in multipleoccupancy cells. Further, in any cell accommodating more than one prisoner, the sanitary annexe
should be fully partitioned.
11.
Additionally, the CPT considers that any cell used for prisoner accommodation should
measure at least 2m between the walls of the cell and 2.5m between the floor and the ceiling.
3
4
5
6
For example, when visiting a prison in Romania in 1995, the CPT found that 88 prisoners were being held in a
dormitory of some 80m²; in 2009, the CPT visited a colony in Ukraine where a dormitory measuring 200m²
was equipped with 114 beds.
CPT/Inf (2001) 16, paragraph 29.
See, for example, the report on the 2013 visit to Greece where such a state of affairs was observed in two
prisons (CPT/Inf (2014) 26, paragraphs 105 and 106).
See, for example, the report on the 2009 visit to Ukraine (CPT/Inf. (2011) 29, paragraph 113).