Kitchen Kitchen facilities are basic, dirty and unsatisfactory considering the large number of prisoners. Equipment is defective and energy wasting. Cooking pots are worn out. The organisation adopted impacts on the number and quality of meals served. Zomba prison has only one kitchen and all cooking pots are worn out at Maula except one. Water, sanitation, bathing and toilet facilities The sewerage system is in bad state, this is because of the lack of maintenance and the high numbers of prisoners. The situation is certainly even worse during the rainy season. Running/tap water is present in all prisons, however, there was no water in Mangochi prison the day of the visit, this was reported to be the first time in four months. Suspects do not have access to water at police stations (Lilongwe). It was also found that in Kasungu, Mzimba and Zomba prisons, taps were defective and leaking. At Maula central prison and the women's section, the pressure is very low and water not enough. Moreover, the number of taps is limited to one per yard which is not enough again considering the number of prisoners. A lot of water is wasted, this is quite unacceptable. The prison administration states that it does not have adequate funds and that prisons are sometimes disconnected from water for unpaid bills (Nkhata Bay). Taps should be repaired and prisoners educated so that they use them properly and do not leave them open when they do not need water. In Maula central prison and women section, the water pressure is very low. This is a problematic situation considering the very big population. Toilets and shower cubicles are not sufficient considering the number of prisoners (Zomba, Maula, Chichiri, Mzimba). Moreover they are terrible (flush is not working except in a few places such as Mzuzu and women sections) and nauseating in most prisons visited. In police cells visited, a strong smell of urine tells about the lack of access to toilets. At Kasungu, a cell near the toilets can not be used due to the inconvenience cause by the defective toilets. Zomba condemned section does not have any toilet. Prisoners use buckets that are emptied in the toilets of other sections. The security section at Maula prison does not have any bathing facility. There are two toilets and five buckets at Mzimba prison. It should be noted that the situation is better in women sections, which is certainly due to the absence of overcrowding in these sections. In some of the prisons, there are toilets both inside and outside cells (Maula 12 central prison and women section, Mzuzu) or an isolated corner in the cell where a bucket is put at night (Nkhata Bay, Mzuzu). Most toilets do not have working flush or running water except in Mzuzu prison and women sections. In most prisons, rotten and saturated pipes lead to infiltration of human stools from toilets to shower cubicles through the water draining system. This was particularly the case in Maula prison (remand and convicted sections). Consequently, shower cubicles were most of the time very dirty and not used by the prisoners. They would rather use buckets to carry water and shower in the yard. As a result, yards were often very dirty, with standing pools of dirty water (creating a health hazard). At police stations, prisoners were unable to wash themselves. This situation was a source of bitter dissatisfaction and acute tension among prisoners, who complained of being treated like animals. In most prisons, prisoners do not have access to toilets during the night. They have to use buckets or plastic bags. There is most of the time only one or two buckets per cell that they are also using to carry water for shower during the day. This, combined with the lack of hygiene (see paragraph on hygiene and clothing) explains the dirtiness and bad smells in most prisons. However, in Mzuzu prison, despite overcrowding, the toilets and shower cubicles were clean as was the yard where a draining system helps to get rid of water. Dining hall There is no dining hall in Malawi prisons. Prisoners have their meals in cells or outside. Outdoor facilities In most prisons exercice yards are the only place where prisoners can exercise. However, considering the number of prisoners, even large yards are hardly enough for exercising properly (Mzimba, Kachere). In Zomba, there is a football ground. There are also small vegetable gardens as observed in Maula and Mangochi prisons. The yards in most prisons are covered by soil and no more levelled as the concrete or pavements are worn out and/or have been removed to allow small gardens. In Zomba first offenders' section, Maula prison and Nkhata Bay, erosion is accelerating the process, leading to a somewhat chaotic environment, with 13