building. At the time of the visit, 64 women and 2 babies were housed in the facility. Members of the delegation found the physical conditions satisfactory and the atmosphere warm. There were two sections: one for women who had been convicted and another for those who had been sentenced, but in practice they lived together. Only one official (female) was on duty in a 24-hour period. She told members of the delegation that few improvements had been made at the facility in the previous six years. Although physical resources were scarce — consisting essentially of beds and a bathroom — the delegation observed that the cells were clean and spacious, with adequate ventilation and light. One of the problems that the delegation noted was a shortage of drinking water and a complete lack of hot water. Children living in the facility with their mothers were provided with fruit, vegetables, dried milk, medicines and shoes. There was not a separate space for children and they received no special treatment from the staff of the facility. Their living space was limited to the sleeping quarters of their mothers. The inmates were allowed to move freely inside and outside the building during the day and could engage in various activities (such as educational and religious activities). However, they had no access to recreational or sports activities. 186.The delegation also visited the women’s prison within the State Prison of Jalisco (Reclusorio Preventivo del Estado de Jalisco). The women’s facility is 25 years old and has an area of 25,000 square metres. Officially, its capacity is 256 inmates, but on the day the delegation visited the institution it housed 660 women, including 34 minors. The prison director acknowledged that overcrowding was a real problem at the facility. She explained that the situation was worse at night because there were not enough places to sleep. Consequently, the inmates had to sleep on the floor in hugely overcrowded cells. There were four dormitories, to which prisoners were assigned on the basis of their legal status. In addition to the dormitories, the prison had an area with six rooms (which had recently been renovated) in which inmates could receive conjugal visits, a medical unit (adequately equipped), a school area (with a library, theatre workshop and computer area), an area for minors (well equipped for children from 3 months to 3 years of age, similar to a nursery school), a common dining room, a laundry, a workshop, an area for making tortillas, a sewing room and a kitchen (modern and clean). The positive impression that the members of the delegation received was reinforced by their interviews with inmates. None of the women interviewed complained to the delegation of any irregularities in their treatment by prison officials. On the contrary, they stressed the affection that they felt for the prison director, which was apparent to the members of the delegation during the visit to the institution. The delegation members were pleased to note this excellent relationship between the inmates and the prison staff. The prison administrative staff were most helpful throughout the visit, and the atmosphere was warm, open and cooperative. The Subcommittee wishes to emphasize that good management and good interaction between prison staff and inmates are essential for the proper functioning of prisons and detention centres. The only shortcomings that the delegation noted at this facility were overcrowding and the low number of inmates participating in educational and recreational activities. Nevertheless, the delegation was very favourably impressed by the warm atmosphere, the various activities organized for the inmates and the good relations among them. 187.The delegation also visited the women’s section of the Central Prison in Oaxaca, which housed 85 people at the time of the visit (including 3 babies aged 2, 5 and 7 months). The inmates were locked up in this facility and were only allowed out of their cells for specific reasons and at certain times. Only two guards per shift were on duty in the women’s section. The delegation received many complaints concerning overcrowding (not all inmates had their own bed and some had to sleep on the floor), food (poor quality, sometimes contaminated by insects), medical services (lack of professionalism, lack of medicines), preferential treatment given to male inmates with respect to the use of areas intended for sports activities, and the treatment of children, who did not receive adequate or appropriate food. Most of these complaints were substantiated by the assistant director of the women’s section and by personal observations of the members of the delegation. Living conditions were extremely poor. The cells were so small that the prisoners were not able to stretch out fully (1.85 x 1.30 metres for one-person cells, slightly larger for two-person cells). The cells had no windows and no ventilation and were very poorly equipped. Health and hygiene conditions were also generally poor. The Subcommittee recommends that the occupancy level of these areas be substantially reduced and that all inmates be provided with basic hygiene products. In addition, the Subcommittee recommends that the necessary steps be taken to increase leisure and recreational activities for female inmates. The Subcommittee recommends an urgent review of the physical conditions, including renovation programmes. The Subcommittee also recommends that the State ensure that appropriate arrangements are made for female inmates whose children live with them in the prison and that efforts be made to recruit more staff. 188.The 2003 General Assembly resolution on human rights in the administration of justice (resolution 58/183) invited Governments, relevant international and regional bodies, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations to devote increased attention to the issue of women in prison, including the children of women in prison, with a view to identifying the key problems and ways in which they can be addressed. The Subcommittee recommends that the State party develop policy proposals aimed at ensuring that action is taken to address the special needs of women in prison. The Subcommittee considers that the treatment of women in prison should be guided not only by the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and other specific guidelines for prisons, but also by all applicable international human rights instruments. In addition to the international standards, States should also comply with the relevant regional standards. 189.The Subcommittee has noted that sentence enforcement courts have been established as part of the constitutional reform of the criminal justice system. Such institutions, if implemented properly and if allocated adequate budgetary resources, can be an excellent means of improving access to justice for persons deprived of their liberty and therefore an additional mechanism for preventing torture and cruel treatment, as they facilitate complaints and grievance procedures. 190. The Subcommittee recommends that Mexico provide sufficient budget allocations, training and awareness-raising to enable the sentence enforcement courts to operate effectively throughout the country and thus give effect to article 21 of the Mexican Constitution, which created them. The Subcommittee also recommends that consideration be given to the possibility that these judicial bodies might carry out a regulated legal procedure in respect of conditions of detention, transfer of prisoners, and review and duration of administrative sanctions and penalties.