V)  Prison overcrowding V)  Prison overcrowding Section 17 (6) of the Imprisonment Rules stipulates that in a dormitory intended for several convicts, each convict must have at least 4 m2 of accommodation space. The same provision allows a living space of less than 4 m2 per convict in a situation where the total number of convicts serving sentences in prisons of the same basic type in the whole country exceeds the prison capacity defined as providing a living space of at least 4 m2 per convict. Since the total number of convicted men serving sentences in high security prisons in the Czech Republic exceeded the defined capacity of prisons on 14 October 2014, the living space per convict was reduced to 3 m2 in accordance with Section 17 (6) of the Imprisonment Rules. The situation further worsened during the systematic visits as medium security prisons for men also became overcrowded on 19 March 2015 (female convicts serving imprisonment in maximum security prisons reached the same threshold on 12 May 2015). All the services and activities within a prison will be adversely affected if it is required to cater for more prisoners than it was designed to accommodate; the overall quality of life in the establishment will be lowered, perhaps significantly. Moreover, the level of overcrowding in a prison, or in a particular part of it, might be such as to be in itself inhuman or degrading from a physical standpoint. 26 The CPT adds on this that an overcrowded prison entails cramped and unhygienic accommodation; a constant lack of privacy; reduced out-of-cell activities; overburdened health-care services; increased tension and hence more violence between prisoners and between prisoners and staff. 27 I observed these adverse effects of overcrowding in some of the prisons I visited. These were, in particular, prisoners accommodated in very large numbers in cells/bedrooms, prisoners being often locked in their cells/bedrooms, overcrowded visiting rooms, inadequate capacity of the common room, long waiting times for telephone and medical treatment, little time for food consumption, limited contact with specialist prison employees; see below. 1) Shared accommodation One of the implications of prison overcrowding is that 10 or more convicts were accommodated in some of the bedrooms. The EPR consider shared accommodation of convicts permissible, but only where it is suitable. 28 Unfortunately, Czech prisons are built on the principle of shared accommodation. 26 Excerpt from the second General Report [CPT/Inf (92) 3], par. 46. In: EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR THE PREVENTION OF TORTURE AND INHUMAN OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT (CPT). CPT Standards [online]. CPT/Inf/E (2002) 1 – Rev. 2004 [retrieved on 20 November 2015]. Available at: http://www. cpt.coe.int/lang/cze/cze-standards.pdf. 27 Excerpt from the seventh General Report [CPT/Inf (97) 10], par. 12-15. In: EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR THE PREVENTION OF TORTURE AND INHUMAN OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT (CPT). CPT Standards [online]. CPT/Inf/E (2002) 1 – Rev. 2004 [retrieved on 20 November 2015]. Available at: http://www.cpt.coe.int/lang/cze/cze-standards.pdf. 28 Par. 18.5 – 18.7 EPR. /16/