6ROLWDU\FRQILQHPHQWRISULVRQHUV 0DWHULDOFRQGLWLRQVLQVROLWDU\ FRQILQHPHQW 58. The cells used for solitary confinement should meet the same minimum standards as those applicable to other prisoner accommodation. Thus, they should be of an adequate size, enjoy access to natural light and be equipped with artificial lighting (in both cases sufficient to read by), and have adequate heating and ventilation. They should also be equipped with a means of communication with prison staff. Proper arrangements should be made for the prisoners to meet the needs of nature in a decent fashion at all times and to shower at least as often as prisoners in normal regime. Prisoners held in solitary confinement should be allowed to wear normal prison clothing and the food provided to them should be the normal prison diet, including special diets when required. As for the exercise area used by such prisoners, it should be sufficiently large to enable them genuinely to exert themselves and should have some means of protection from the elements. 59. All too often, CPT delegations find that one or more of these basic requirements are not met, in particular in respect of prisoners undergoing solitary confinement as a disciplinary sanction. For example, the cells designed for this type of solitary confinement are sometimes located in basement areas, with inadequate access to natural light and ventilation and prone to dampness. And it is not unusual for the cells to be too small, sometimes measuring as little as 3 to 4m²; in this connection, the CPT wishes to stress that any cell measuring less than 6m² should be withdrawn from service as prisoner accommodation. The exercise areas used by the prisoners concerned are also frequently inadequate. 60. It is common practice for cells accommodating prisoners undergoing solitary confinement as a punishment to have a limited amount of furniture, which is often secured to the floor. Nevertheless, such cells should be equipped, as a minimum, with a table, adequate seating for the daytime (i.e. a chair or bench), and a proper bed and bedding at night. As regards the cells used to accommodate prisoners undergoing other types of solitary confinement, the CPT considers that they should be furnished in the same manner as cells used by prisoners on normal location.