Annual Report 2010 by the National Preventive Mechanism against Torture Most establishments have 2 96. In most cases the places of deprivation of liberty comprise small areas with or 3 single-occupancy cells an average of two or three small, single-occupancy cells together with independent and separate toilet facilities toilet facilities. In some cases there is also a room for custodial officers on duty. Command headquarters and barracks in provincial capitals (e.g. the Guzmán el Bueno barracks in Madrid) usually have larger facilities. Cell doors are made of Cell doors are made of metal plate and fitted with small openings to facilitate metal plate with small monitoring from the outside. Repairs were recommended at several establishments openings. The use of padlocks and chains in locking & unlocking systems must be avoided where doors were found to be in poor condition, e.g. at the barracks in Aviles (Asturias), Cartagena (Murcia), Ibiza and San Antoni de Portmany (Balearic Islands). Door locking and unlocking systems unsuitable for emergencies or evacuation procedures were observed at the command headquarters in Gijon (Asturias) and the barracks in Aviles, Sant Antoni de Portmany, Aviles and the Port of Malaga. The current system needs to be replaced by a mechanical opening system or at least a manually operated lock, so that padlocks and chains secured by padlocks are not used. Cells are designed for 97. Cells are usually designed for individual use, and measure between 4 and individual use. It would be 5 m2 on average. This makes them somewhat smaller than recommended in the advisable for agreements to be reached with the CNP for when cells reach saturation point guidelines laid down in paragraph 49 of this report. In spite of reports indicating that the entry into operation of the holding cells had not been authorised (September 2010), and that the cells installed complied with the usual criteria for size and individual use it was deduced from an examination of the Detainee Registration and Custody Log in Ibiza (Balearic Islands) that a worrying level of overcrowding existed, and that on several occasions up to eight people had been held overnight in the four cells, some of which had no lighting, no mattress and broken doors. Without prejudice to the need to enlarge the holding area in the barracks on the island of Ibiza so that it can cope with the number of detainees that it must handle, it would be advisable for an agreement to be reached with the CNP for the transfer of detainees to the establishments of the latter when GC establishments reach saturation point. The same goes for other establishments visited, such as the barracks in Santiago de Compostela (A Coruña) and Vecindario (Las Palmas), where the size of the cells means that it is not reasonable for detainees to share them. The poor lighting in some 98. The poor lighting found in some of the cells visited is a cause for concern. A of the cells visited is a cause systematic assessment of lighting conditions at these establishments is required. for concern Special attention must be paid to this issue at the command headquarters in Alava (Vitoria), Las Palmas (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria), Leon, Madrid, Malaga (particularly in regard to the cell for juveniles), Valladolid and Zaragoza, and the barracks of Alsasua and Tafalla (Navarre), Arguineguin (Las Palmas), Casablanca in Zaragoza, the Port of Malaga, El Prat airport in Barcelona, Sant Antoni de Portmany (Balearic Islands), Santiago de Compostela (A Coruña) and Vecindario (Las Palmas). At the time of the inspection visits, the lights in some of the cells at 68 THE OMBUDSMAN OF SPAIN

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