In Prison In prisons, and in the most recently constructed prisons in particular, the layout of exercise yards is far from bringing attractive due to the priority given to security: surrounded by an enclosure of concrete walls or rigid wire mesh bristling with concertina wire, the yards are surmounted with anti-helicopter ropes and can only be entered by means of a secure access route with security entrances… Furthermore, the majority of exercise yards are characterised by the dearth of facilities enabling a minimum of comfort such as benches, tables, bathroom facilities and shelters. It is striking to note the low rate of use of exercise yards in view of the number of prisoners entitled to go to them. Although probably not the only reason, the layout of the space in no way lessens the fear that these yards provoke my considerable number of people, nor the apprehensiveness of staff called there to take action in case of need. Conversely, other prisoners consider these areas to be their territory and adopt behaviour dissuading any third party from going there. The prisons administration appears to understand this question to the point that surveillance is henceforth increasingly conducted by remote means, and no longer from inside the exercise yards, by means of video surveillance devices, of which one of the objectives consists of collecting elements of proof at the time of assaults which take place there. Apart from the arrangements necessary to give these places a minimum of attractiveness, which requires covered parts and areas covered in vegetation, exercise areas should be rethought so that they can no longer be deemed equivalent to veritable places of segregation. Exercise yards, as they still understood in certain old institutions, could be used as reference in this respect. In these places, areas devoted to exercise are also axes of passage, used equally by prisoners, staff and external actors, in order to go to their respective activities. Any movement within the institution therefore involves direct contact with the persons present there. Although security obviously remains a concern in these areas, it is not for all that as omnipresent and exclusive a concern as in the yards described above. In this setup, the exercise yards are in general located between the administrative area of the institution and the various different prison sectors, and the accommodation buildings in particular. The possibilities of coming and going for exercise are organised in a more fluid manner: indeed, movements between the cell and the yard take place more frequently – with the arrangement of intermediate spaces – than in the majority of other institutions, in which exercise conforms to a single movement of going down and coming back up. The latter constitutes another factor dissuading prisoners from going to exercise yards, since everyone in prison knows that having to be recalled, when one is in the yard, leads to results which are very much a matter of chance… With regard to access to the exterior, it would therefore be appropriate to think about changing over from a “yard approach” to a “park approach”, as has already been done in several long-term detention centres. Within this approach, a central square serves as a link between the various different accommodation wings, like a small public garden whose social function is to be a special place of exchanges between prisoners, actors and staff, the latter organising surveillance by community policing. treatment.” 147