and socially-invalidating pathologies; on the other hand, as far as prisons are concerned, autonomy appears to be a concern which is diametrically opposed, in most cases, to a mode of operation characterised by total subjection of the prisoner during their incarceration. The architecture of places of deprivation of liberty should promote personal autonomy, as far as the practical facilities thereof are concerned, and in terms of modes of access to external spaces. 2.2.1 Enabling Persons to Take Practical Responsibility for Themselves During periods in which they are temporarily deprived of their liberty, persons should not lose the habit of carrying out the day-to-day actions that they have to complete when they are free: getting up on time, cooking, washing, hanging out and ironing their linen, doing their shopping etc. Architectural design enabling people to wash their personal linen and to prepare and share meals contributes thereto, at the same time as contributing to their physical well-being, psychological balance and autonomy. This familiarisation with the demands of daily life, which is necessary for adults, involves a real learning process for most minors placed in CEFs, which constitutes an essential component of their education and supervision in these centres. Mastery of these simple actions, ensured in appropriate premises for adults, is in itself likely to make release easier and prevent recidivism. Moreover certain CEFs illustrate this concern by having a unit for preparation for ordinary life, a kind of studio flat where young people are able to learn the rudiments of independent daily life. The system of “prison shops” organises the sale, distribution and payment for food products and various different items, which are available for purchase on terms that only leave a limited share of autonomy to the buyer: all the latter has to do is fill in an order form, and wait for distribution of the item, which is generally delivered to their cell, the corresponding sum of money being debited from their personal account without any action on their part. Apart from the difficulty of understanding the system and filling in the order form in writing for a portion of the prison population, which is unable (or barely able) to read and write in French, this mode of organisation gives rise to problems of operation and incomprehension, which constitute one of the recurring grounds for recriminations in prisons. The principle points of dispute are of two kinds: they arise from the fact that delivery in most cases takes place in the cell, in the absence of the purchaser, who thus cannot immediately check whether the order has been fulfilled, and from the difficulty of checking their purchases on the bank statements drawn up by the administration. After the model of the cafeterias which exist in certain mental health institutions, penal institutions should make provision for premises – judiciously located for ease of access – enabling prisoners to go to a shop or minimarket, in order to choose and order their purchases directly, pay for them using a magnetic card type system and receive immediate delivery. This type of outlet could also enable direct access by means of an automatic pay point for certain services. In all places of deprivation of ability where persons stay on a long-term basis, returned to autonomy or maintenance thereof therefore makes it necessary to make premises available, such as a kitchen, laundry room and shop. Upstream from any new building and from the renovation of any existing buildings, the question of the location of the premises provided for cooking and doing the laundry and shopping, needs to be posed in relation to accommodation areas, classrooms and rooms for 144