interests of the prisoners ’ health. Furthermore, prisoners held in solitary confinement for more than 12 hours should have access to fresh air for at least 1 hour each day. 185. The SPT points out that prolonged solitary confinement may amount to an act of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and recommends that the State party should severely restrict the use of solitary confinement as punishment for persons deprived of their liberty. Solitary confinement should not be used in the case of minors or the mentally disabled. 186.Following discussion with the SPT, the Director of Tacumbú National Prison decided, on the spot, to return 8 of the 11 prisoners who had been placed in the solitary confinement wing for minor offences to the ordinary prison regime, and to transfer the remaining 3 prisoners to better cells. The Director also provided the SPT with a copy of plans for new solitary confinement cells, whose construction he said would begin shortly. The SPT discovered through information in the public domain that the solitary confinement cells in the Alcatraz wing had been closed down permanently a week after the SPT visit. The SPT welcomes the closure of this wing and would like to receive confirmation from the State party of the definitive closure of the wing as well as information on the progress of the works and the estimated date of opening of the new solitary confinement cells. 187.At Pedro Juan Caballero Regional Prison, the worst conditions were in wing B1. Apart from being overcrowded, the building had leaks and was infested with insects. In addition, the kitchen where the prisoners’ food was prepared was extremely dirty and the cooking utensils were of very poor quality. The SPT had the opportunity to visit the new prison building, which is nearly completed and easily satisfied international minimum standards for the accommodation of prisoners. The SPT recommends that the completion of this building should be speeded up and that maximum priority should be given to closing down the existing facility. 188. In general, the SPT recommends that a plan of action on prisons should be drawn up and disseminated so as to ensure that the basic needs of all persons deprived of their liberty are met. As a matter of priority, this should include an inspection of the material conditions of Paraguayan prison facilities, with a view to establishing and implementing cleaning, renovation and refurbishment programmes. In particular, the following should be addressed: (a) All persons deprived of their liberty should have a bed and a mattress on which to sleep, with sufficient bedding that is properly maintained and regularly changed so as to ensure that it is kept clean; (b) Ventilation, cubic content of air, minimum floor space, lighting and access to natural light in cells and dormitories should be guaranteed; (c) Prisons should have adequate sanitary facilities in a proper state of repair, sufficient for personal hygiene, washing of clothes and waste disposal. (a)Sanitary facilities 189.Most of the sanitary facilities visited were out of order. In many of them excrement and urine were accumulating, causing a stench that at times permeated the whole wing. Given the number of inmates in the prisons in question, the SPT considers that the current sanitary facilities are inadequate. 190.The toilet facilities in the D wings (mixta baja, ex comedor, and cuadrilátero) in Tacumbú National Prison were found to be the worst of all: the latrines were overflowing and blocked; there was absolutely no ventilation and the water supply was irregular or intermittent. When the SPT visited these facilities at night, they were in darkness and there was no electric light. The toilets do not have doors, which means that prisoners cannot use the facilities in privacy. Owing to the shortage of water, prisoners are not able to keep themselves properly clean either. 191.At the end of the visit, the director assured the SPT that the sanitary facilities in the above-mentioned wings would be repaired within one week. The SPT would like to receive confirmation from the State party that the facilities in question have in fact been repaired, as promised. The SPT urges the State party to increase the current number of sanitary facilities and to carry out urgent and regular repairs on all damaged toilets and clean up the facilities in general throughout the prison wings. (b)Food 192.At both prisons, the SPT received complaints from inmates about the quality of the food, which was described as “slop”. The SPT visited the kitchens at both prisons and was present as the evening meal was being served. The SPT concluded that both the quality of the food and the way it was served was unsatisfactory and, at times, humiliating. In the mixed wing in Tacumbú National Prison, the SPT saw how food was served in the toilet, out of dirty pots using converted plastic bottles. Several inmates said that the food was better that day because of the SPT visit. Nearly all the inmates interviewed said that they had lost weight since coming to prison owing to the poor nutritional content of the food. One interviewee said that he had had to eat out of the garbage. At Pedro Juan Caballero Regional Prison, the SPT saw that the food was prepared by one of the inmates in appallingly unhygienic conditions, without the necessary equipment. At both prisons there are outlets run by the inmates, where those who have the means to do so can purchase better quality food. 193. The SPT recommends that the State party should allocate sufficient budgetary resources to provide food for prisoners and ensure, through the necessary monitoring mechanisms, that the food purchased is nutritious, effectively distributed to all inmates and prepared and served in a proper and decent manner. The SPT would like to receive information, broken down by prison, on the annual budget for food allocated to the General Directorate of Prisons. The