-62 5.3. Living conditions of prisoners KEY POINTS » ASPECTS TO MONITOR: By carefully designing prison space for work, educational and recreational activities, serving a sentence in prison can be more rehabilitative and purposeful, thereby reducing stress and aggressive behaviour. That is why assessing the conditions of the prison environment, the regime and purposeful activities as well as the possibility of keeping in contact with the outside world are key. » MONITORING TOOLS: All monitoring tools are relevant to monitor the living conditions of prisoners (see above § 4.3). » STANDARDS: For an overview of standards on living conditions of prisoners that were identified as particularly relevant for the prevention of violence see above § 3.2.3. GUIDING QUESTIONS Example questions for NPMs’ own assessment - the nature of the prison environment • Is the environment for prisoners safe, clean and decent? (e.g. state of repair, lack of or broken furniture, heating, litter, insects and rodents, fresh air, views and greenery) • Is the prison overcrowded? Is multi- or shared occupancy accommodation being used? Are large capacity dormitories used? • How are dignified environment and space for privacy respected? Do shared shower rooms have modesty screens? Is the toilet separated from the rest of the cell? Is the toilet area blurred on the monitoring screen of CCTV cameras? • Are there lockers in the cell to secure the private belongings of prisoners and prevent theft? Is there an effective way to identify the private property of prisoners? Example questions for NPMs’ own assessment - out of cell activity/ purposeful activity • What are the maximum hours prisoners spend inside cells? Are any