Physical conditions in segregation units: case studies The ‘S’ security cells in Staubing prison (Germany) Once inside the cell with all the doors closed, prisoners could not hear any of the usual prison sounds. The cells were located at the intersection of the wings of a building and were reached through a door opening onto a corridor, which served as a form of antechamber and where the showers were also situated. Each corridor contained two cells. In principle, there were no guards in the corridors and the occupants of the cells had no opportunities for visual or other forms of sensory contact with other prisoners or prison officers [CPT report 1993, par. 74-75.] The isolation cells in Komotini prison (Greece) Were also not in a fit condition to hold prisoners… [cells were] hot and filthy, with a putrid smell; there was poor ventilation, no bed (only a dirty mattress on the ground), no wash basin (hands were washed in the toilet) and minimal access to natural light [CPT report 2006, par. 41]. The disciplinary cells at Sremska Mitrovica prison (Serbia) Were equipped with only a wooden platform (with a mattress and bedding), a box for personal belongings, a sink and an Asian-type toilet … access to natural light and artificial lighting were at best mediocre [CPT report 2006, par.133]. Cells in Section 209 of Evin prison (Iran) Were placed in the basement ... Cells measured about one meter by two meters, with a ceiling height of about four meters. A light at the top of the cell is on twenty-four hours a day. Cells had a toilet and a sink. The floor was made of... chalk [and] the walls were all white. Some prisoners were granted twenty minutes per day in a caged outdoor area, but others never saw the open air... [Human Rights Watch, “Like the Dead in Their Coffins” Torture, Detention and the Crushing of Dissent in Iran; June 2004, Vol. 16, No.2 (E) B. Prison regime While it is generally accepted by human rights and monitoring bodies that certain restrictions may be unavoidable in segregation units where solitary confinement is imposed as a short-term disciplinary punishment, prison authorities are nonetheless required to provide prisoners with minimal regime provisions, as prescribed in international instruments. Where prisoners are held in longer term solitary confinement, international bodies make it clear that they must be afforded access to prison programmes and meaningful human contact. The minimal regime provisions prescribed by international instruments include some of the following: Access to outdoor exercise 27.1 Every prisoner shall be provided with the opportunity of at least one hour of exercise every day in the open air, if the weather permits. 27.2 When the weather is inclement alternative arrangements shall be made to allow prisoners to exercise. (European Prison Rules (2006 rev.); SMR Rule 21(1)) Sourcebook on solitary confinement: Design, physical conditions and regime in solitary confinement units 43