Persons detained under aliens legislation should be accommodated in centres specifically
designed for that purpose, offering material conditions and a regime appropriate to their
legal situation. Care should be taken in the design and layout of such premises to avoid, as
far as possible, any impression of a carceral environment.22
Female detainees should be held in an area which is separated from that accommodating
male detainees, and their privacy should be guaranteed.23
4. Adequate material conditions for longer stays (over 24 hours)24
Immigration detention centres should provide accommodation which is adequately
furnished, clean and in a good state of repair, and which offers sufficient living space for
the numbers involved.25
These centres should have adequate lighting (including daylight), ventilation and heating.26
Call bells should be installed in all detention areas where staff are not continuously
present.27
All detained persons should:
- be provided with a bed or plinth, and a clean mattress and clean blankets;28
- have ready access to toilet facilities, including at night;29
- be provided, on a regular basis, with a basic sanitary kit (including adequate rations of
soap, washing powder, toilet paper, shampoo, shaving utensils and toothpaste, and a
toothbrush) free of charge;30
- have access to a shower and to hot water;31
- be offered the possibility to wear their own clothes during their stay if those are
suitable and, if necessary, to have them washed and repaired;32
- be provided with the necessary products and equipment to keep their accommodation
clean;33
- be provided with lockable space in which to keep personal belongings;34
- have access to food and drinking water.35 Meals should take into account the religious
requirements and dietary habits of foreign nationals.36
Malta: 2008 visit, paragraph 51.
Greece: 2011 visit, paragraph 38.
24 Greece: 2013 visit, paragraph 51.
25 “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”: 2014 visit, paragraph 113.
26 Ukraine: 2002 visit, paragraph 62.
27 Greece: 2011 visit, paragraph 38.
28 Greece: 2007 visit, paragraph 25.
29 Greece: 2011 visit, paragraph 38.
30 Greece: 2011 visit, paragraph 38.
31 Greece: 2013 visit, paragraph 51.
32 Croatia: 2007 visit, paragraph 37.
33 “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”: 2014 visit, paragraph 120.
34 Croatia: 2007 visit, paragraph 35.
35 Hungary: 2005 visit, paragraph 53.
36 “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”: 2014 visit, paragraph 120.
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