The requirement for prisoners to have at least one hour of open-air exercise daily is generally accepted as an absolute minimum (CPT/Inf(93)15 at para.95). Where possible, prisoners should be allowed to associate with each other during recreation time (see also EPR 27.7). For prisoners held in solitary confinement, the exercise period is the only opportunity they have to get fresh air and a glimpse of the world outside their cells. This requirement is therefore of particular importance and should be strictly adhered to with a view to extending recreation times and enabling prisoners to exercise together. The lack of opportunity for outdoor exercise combined with the lack of access to natural light was found by the European Court of Human Rights to amount to degrading treatment in violation of Article 3 of the ECHR58. Designated exercise yards in segregation and special high security units often comprise a small and barren concrete enclosure (see various CPT Country Reports). In some jurisdictions the area is covered with metal mesh obstructing the view of the sky. This should be avoided. Exercise yards should be of sufficient size to enable prisoners to exert themselves and, so far as possible, should be equipped with appropriate equipment. Efforts should also be made to modify the bleakness of exercise yards through, for example, painting the area or planting greenery. Exercise yards: good practice example Exercise yards at the Extra Security Unit (EBI) in Vught prison (the Netherlands) were “large enough for prisoners to exert themselves physically” and had a ‘running strip’ for prisoners who “wished to engage in more strenuous physical activities”. Exercise could take place with between one to three other prisoners. Prisoners also had access to a large and well equipped gymnasium. [CPT Report, 1998, CPT/Inf(98)15.] Access to programmes Provisions shall be made for the further education of all prisoners capable of profiting thereby ... the education of illiterates and young prisoners shall be compulsory and special attention shall be paid to it by the administration (SMR Rule 77; EPR (2006 Rev) Rule 28) Recreational and cultural activities shall be provided in all institutions for the benefit of the mental and physical health of prisoners (SMR Rule 78) All prisoners shall have the right to take part in cultural activities and education aimed at the full development of the human personality (Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners, Principle 6) Programme provision in prisons has many obvious advantages for prisoners’ wellbeing and personal development as well as for their prospects of successful reintegration upon release. Research also strongly suggests that access to programmes in prison positively affects behaviour, whereas the lack of things to do may result in increased violent behaviour. A literature review of over ninety studies of the impact of prison programmes concluded that: 44 Sourcebook on solitary confinement: Design, physical conditions and regime in solitary confinement units