MONITORING PLACES OF DETENTION : A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR NGOS 111 SANITARY FACILITIES Standards “The sanitary installations shall be adequate to enable every prisoner to comply with the needs of nature when necessary and in a clean and decent manner.” SMR, Rule 12 3 “The sanitary installations and arrangements for access shall be adequate to enable every prisoner to comply with the needs of nature when necessary and in clean and decent conditions.” EPR, Rule 17 “Ready access to proper toilet facilities and the maintenance of good standards of hygiene are essential components of a humane environment. In this connection, the CPT must state that it does not like the practice found in certain countries of prisoners discharging human waste in buckets in their cells (which are subsequently ‘slopped out’ at appointed times). Either a toilet facility should be located in cellular accommodation (preferably in a sanitary annex) or means should exist enabling prisoners who need to use a toilet facility to be released from their cells without undue delay at all times (including at night).” CPT, GR 2, §49 Comments Persons deprived of their liberty must be able to satisfy their physiological needs without delay and without a time-limit, in decent and hygienic conditions. Detention premises should have separate toilets so that the individuals using them do not feel uncomfortable.