MONITORING PLACES OF DETENTION : A PRACTICAL GUIDE 146 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 (see also EPR, Rule 17) 3 “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 See also IDRCPDL, art. 31. Comments Visiting mechanisms should visit the sanitary installations to check whether they are in working order, provide adequate privacy and are maintained in hygienic conditions. They will probably wish to talk to prisoners about whether any unreasonable restrictions are placed on their access to such facilities. Visitors should check that when toilets are in the cell, they are separated by a wall or partition. Where there are no flushable toilets, visitors should check how frequently containers are emptied. When toilets are situated outside the living premises, it should be checked that they can be reached without delay.