Appendix 4
Supervision of the CGLPL's general
recommendations
1. Recommendations concerning prisons
1.1
Autonomy, dignity and integrity
1- Build small prisons that encourage autonomy on the part of prisoners, which
have communal living areas (points of sale, common rooms, kitchens and
areas for doing laundry) as well as exercise yards that are laid out better so as
to allow for a range of activities to be practised and greater freedom of
movement. Improve the effectiveness of cleaning and waste collection
procedures.
The Minister of Justice stresses that, for a prison, architecture is much more than just a setting – it
represents its whole reason for being. This should therefore lead to institutions being designed that are
innovative in their architecture, size and operating methods. These subjects will be addressed during work
on the prisons construction white paper. The Minister has given precedence to determining a prison doctrine
so as to steer design work, aimed at defining both the purpose and instructions for use of a prison. Regarding
architecture, institutions need to become more humane, reconnecting with the symbolic dimension of the
republican prison; precedence must be given to design on a case-by-case basis, laid out to ensure good
ventilation, with a specific institutional plan right from the outside; communal areas for socialising must be
included; prison architecture needs to be designed for the day in detention and also play a part in improving
the working conditions and, consequently, the quality of life of prison staff.
As for the operating methods, the constructive debates held on detention regimes during the
"occupations seminar" which took place on 26 & 27 July 2016, organised within the prison administration
with the trade union organisations, could thus be applied in the form of new architectural designs. Although
these debates mainly focused on the organisational conditions in prisons (access to activities, role of staff in
managing prisoners, etc.), they may also result in a new distribution of facilities (size of buildings, internal
movements, number of activity rooms, etc.) depending on the extent to which prisoners in institutions will
be expected to take responsibility. Thought is also to be given to the size of institutions.
The CGLPL duly notes these guidelines and upholds its recommendation.
2- Assign prisoners on the basis of their ability to access autonomy and extend
the "prisoner-facilitators" initiative for welcoming new arrivals.
The Minister of Justice states that prisoners are assigned according to several criteria, including
accessibility and maintaining family ties for example. A prisoner's autonomy and the layout of the institution
are given as much consideration as possible to ensure normal detention for the person. Access to the
Personal care allowance (APA) and Disability compensation benefit (PCH) helps to fund the work of a
Home-based assistance service (SAAD) and thus lend a dependent prisoner assistance with day-to-day tasks
(getting dressed, washing, going to bed, etc.). In order to enable prisoners to access such schemes, a
partnership must be forged with Département-level councils, Département-level centres for disabled people
(MDPHs) and SAADs.
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