be made to avoid placing juveniles in ordinary police cells but rather to hold them in a juvenile-friendly environment. To this end, it would be highly desirable for separate police units for juveniles to be established so that juveniles can be removed as quickly as possible from the general population of persons in police custody and accommodated in a specialised holding facility. Regrettably, the Committee continues to fnd juveniles in police custody being accommodated together with adults in the same cells. Such a state of afairs is not acceptable. The vulnerability of juveniles means that as a matter of principle they should be accommodated separately from adults. 100. Further, law enforcement ofcials who frequently or exclusively deal with juveniles or who are primarily engaged in the prevention of juvenile delinquency should receive specialised initial and ongoing training. 3. Detention centres for juveniles a. Introduction 101. The CPT has long advocated that all detained juveniles who are suspected or convicted of a criminal ofence should be held in detention centres specifcally designed for persons of this age, ofering a non-prison-like environment and regimes tailored to their needs and stafed by persons trained in dealing with the young. Regrettably, this is still far from being the case in many Council of Europe member states. There has been progress in ensuring that juveniles who are sent to prison are not held together with adults but in juvenile-only units. However, all too often these units ofer not only poor material conditions but, due to a lack of trained staf, juvenile inmates are also provided with an impoverished regime, and support and supervision remain inadequate. This means that juveniles do not beneft from purposeful activities and training in life skills which are benefcial for reintegration into the community upon release. On the other hand, the Committee has visited a number of juvenile establishments in several countries, which are indeed juvenile-centred and based on the concept of living units. These establishments are composed of small wellstafed units, each comprising a limited number of single rooms (usually no more than ten) as well as a communal area. Juveniles are provided with a range of purposeful activities throughout the day, and staf promote a sense of community within the unit. The CPT considers that this type of centre represents a model for holding detained juveniles in all European countries. 102. As indicated above, juveniles (whether on remand or sentenced) should as a rule not be held in institutions for adults but in facilities specially designed for this age group. The CPT considers that when, exceptionally, they are held in prisons for adults, juveniles should always be accommodated separately from adults, in a distinct unit. Further, adult prisoners should not have access to this unit. That said, the Committee acknowledges that there can be arguments in favour of juveniles participating in out-of-cell activities with adult prisoners, on the strict condition that there is appropriate supervision by staf. Such situations occur, for example, when there are very few or only one juvenile ofender in an establishment; steps need to be taken to avoid juveniles being placed de facto in solitary confnement. Juveniles deprived of their liberty under criminal legislation ► Page 51