A prison cell (also known as a jail cell) is a small room in a prison or police station where a prisoner is held. Cells greatly vary by their furnishings, hygienic services, and cleanliness, both across countries and based on the level of punishment to which the prisoner being held has been sentenced. Cells can be occupied by one or multiple prisoners depending on factors that include, but are not limited to, inmate population, facility size, resources, or inmate behavior.
The International Committee of the Red Cross recommends that cells be at least 5.4 m2 (58 sq ft) in size for a single cell accommodation (one person in the cell). However, in shared or dormitory accommodations, it recommends a minimum of 3.4 m2 (37 sq ft) per person, including in cells where bunk beds are used. [1]
Prison cells vary in size internationally from 2 m2 (22 sq ft) in Guinea, 3 m2 (32 sq ft) in Poland, 9 m2 (97 sq ft) in Germany [2] to 10 m2 (110 sq ft) in Norway and 12 m2 (130 sq ft) in Switzerland. [3]
Council of Europe (Strasbourg, 15 December 2015) call for a minimum standard for personal living space in prison establishments is 6 m2 of living space for a single-occupancy cell or 4 m2 (43 sq ft) of living space per prisoner in a multiple-occupancy cell for the prevention of torture and inhuman treatment.
A March 1991 federal government study of U.S. prisons reported that:
"Until recently, the Federal Bureau of Prisons based its determination of rated capacity in existing facilities on a single-bunking standard, which currently calls for providing each inmate with at least 35 square feet of unencumbered space in a single cell. This essentially translates to a cell size of roughly 65 sq ft (6.0 m2).*
- *(65 sq ft (6.0 m2), minus 35 sq ft (3.3 m2) of "unencumbered space" leaves 30 sq ft (2.8 m2) of "encumbered" space, which would likely contain bed, toilet and sink - for a single inmate in a single cell)
"In practice, however, BOP has accommodated inmate population increases by double-bunking inmates in virtually all its facilities and in cells... of varying sizes, but generally in the 50 to 70 square foot range." [4]
In the United States old prison cells are usually about 6 by 8 feet (1.8 by 2.4 m) in dimension which is 48 sq ft (4.5 m2)[ citation needed ], (moreover, however, American Correctional Association standards call for a minimum of 70 sq ft (6.5 m2), with steel or brick walls and one solid or barred door that locks from the outside.[ citation needed ] Many modern prison cells are pre-cast. [5] Solid doors typically have a window that allows the prisoner to be observed from the outside.[ citation needed ]
Furnishings and fixtures inside the cell are constructed so that they cannot be easily broken, and are anchored to the walls or floor. Stainless steel lavatories and commodes are also used. This prevents vandalism or the making of weapons.[ citation needed ]
There are a number of prison and prison cell configurations, from simple police-station holding cells to massive cell blocks in larger correctional facilities. The practice of assigning only one inmate to each cell in a prison is called single-celling [6] or "single-bunking" [4] (as in "bunk bed"). The practice of putting two persons to a cell is referred to as "double-bunking." [4]
In many countries, the cells are dirty and have very few facilities. Other countries may house many offenders in prisons, making the cells crowded. [7] [8]
In the United Kingdom, cells in a police station are the responsibility of the custody sergeant, who also logs each detainee and allocates him or her an available cell. Custody sergeants also ensure cells are clean and as germ-free as possible, in accordance with the Human Rights Act of 1998. [9]
In the United States, the standard cell is equipped with either a ledge or a steel bedstead that holds a mattress. A one-piece sink/toilet constructed of welded, putatively stainless steel is also provided. Bars typify older jails, while newer ones have doors that typically feature a small safety glass window and, often, a metal flap that can be opened to serve meals.
A limited number of United States prisons offer upgrades. Costing around $100 a night, these cells are considered cleaner and quieter, and some of them offer extra facilities. [10] [11] [12]
Often, different standards for cells exist in a single country and even in a single jail. Some of those cells are reserved for "isolation", where a convict is kept alone in a cell as punishment method. Some isolation cells contain no furnishing and no services at all. [13]
A dormitory, also known as a hall of residence or a residence hall, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university students. In some countries, it can also refer to a room containing several beds accommodating people.
Pelican Bay State Prison (PBSP) is a supermax prison facility in Crescent City, California. The 275-acre (111 ha) prison takes its name from a shallow bay on the Pacific coast, about 2 mi (3.2 km) to the west.
A studio apartment, or studio condo also known as a studio flat (UK), self-contained apartment (Nigeria), efficiency apartment, bed-sitter (Kenya), or bachelor apartment, is a small dwelling in which the normal functions of a number of rooms – often the living room, bedroom, and kitchen – are combined into a single room.
Risdon Prison Complex is an Australian medium to maximum security prison for males located in Risdon Vale near Hobart, Tasmania. The facility is operated by the Tasmanian Prison Service, an agency of the Department of Justice of the Government of Tasmania. The facility accepts criminals convicted under Tasmanian and/or Commonwealth legislation.
Mary Hutchinson Women's Prison, formerly Risdon Women's Prison, an Australian minimum to maximum security prison for females, is located in Risdon Vale, Tasmania. The facility is operated by the Tasmanian Prison Service, an agency of the Department of Justice of the Government of Tasmania. The facility accepts felons convicted under Tasmanian and/or Commonwealth legislation.
The Cellular Jail, also known as 'Kālā Pānī', was a British colonial prison in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The prison was used by the colonial government of India for the purpose of exiling criminals and political prisoners. Many notable independence activists, including Sardar Singh Artillery, Diwan Singh Kalepani, Yogendra Shukla, Batukeshwar Dutt, Shadan Chandra Chatterjee, Sohan Singh, Vinayak Savarkar, Hare Krishna Konar, Shiv Verma, Allama Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi, and Sudhanshu Dasgupta were imprisoned here during the struggle for India's independence. Today, the complex serves as a national memorial monument.
Bandyup Women's Prison is located in the northeastern rural Perth suburb of West Swan, Western Australia. Prior to its construction, the female prisoners were at Fremantle Prison, which was overcrowded and offered women limited opportunities.
Mountjoy Prison, founded as Mountjoy Gaol and nicknamed The Joy, is a medium security men's prison located in Phibsborough in the centre of Dublin, Ireland. The current prison Governor is Ray Murtagh.
The Ministry of Public Security Qincheng Prison is a maximum-security prison located in Qincheng Village, Xingshou, Changping District, Beijing in the People's Republic of China. The prison was built in 1958 with aid from the Soviet Union and is the only prison belonging to China's Ministry of Public Security. The Ministry of Justice operates other non-military prisons.
HM Prison Usk is a Category C men's prison, located in Maryport Street in Usk, Monmouthshire, Wales. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service, and jointly managed with the nearby HMP Prescoed.
The Federal Detention Center, Philadelphia is a United States Federal prison in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which mostly holds pretrial male and female inmates as well as inmates serving brief sentences or those that are being transported to another prison within the federal prison system. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
HM Prison Northallerton was a prison in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, England. It operated from 1788 until December 2013. During that time, it variously housed male and female adult prisoners, women with children, youth offenders, and military prisoners. Latterly Her Majesty's Prison Service struggled to keep the old prison operating to modern standards, and citing the costs of doing so and the relatively small size of the institution, it closed the prison in 2014. The prison was bought by Hambleton District Council, which is currently redeveloping the site.
HM Prison Rochester is a male Young Offenders Institution, founded in 1874, and located in the Borstal area of Rochester in Kent, England. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service, and is located next to HMP Cookham Wood.
The Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre (OCDC) is a correctional facility in Ottawa, Ontario. It opened in 1972.
United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island, also known simply as Alcatraz or The Rock, was a maximum security federal prison on Alcatraz Island, 1.25 miles (2.01 km) off the coast of San Francisco, California, United States. The site of a fort since the 1850s, the main prison building was built in 1910–12 as a U.S. Army military prison.
Prisons in India are overcrowded and eight of out ten prisoners in Indian jails await trial. There are 1319 prisons in India as of 2021. Currently, there are about 1400 prisons. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of prisoners increased 13 per cent from 2020 to 2021, making over 80 per cent of the prisons overcrowded. After the Supreme Court order, a number of prisoners were release in 2020 to decongest the jails reducing the overall prison occupancy in 20 states and two Union Territories to a little over 93 per cent. However, the occupancy rate increased to 130 per cent again by 2021. About 63 unnatural deaths took place in Indian prisons. Among the major states, Tamil Nadu is the only state which has less than 100 per cent occupancy followed by Karnataka.
The Ulucanlar Prison Museum is a former state prison in Ankara, Turkey that was converted into a prison museum following restoration by Altındağ Municipality. The museum was opened in 2011. It is the first museum of its kind in Turkey.
The Department of Corrections is an agency of the Thai Ministry of Justice. Its mission is to keep prisoners in custody and rehabilitate them. Its headquarters is in Suanyai Sub-district, Mueang Nonthaburi District, Nonthaburi Province. As of 2020, Police Colonel Suchart Wongananchai is director-general of the department. Its FY2019 budget was 13,430 million baht.
Haren Prison is a new prison in Haren in the north-eastern part of Brussels, Belgium. It is 9.8 kilometres (6.1 mi) from Brussels-South railway station, and is near Brussels Airport, Vilvoorde Viaduct and the planned Uplace shopping centre in Machelen in Flemish Brabant, just outside Brussels. It is said to be the largest prison complex ever built in Belgium, and is intended to replace the old Saint-Gilles Prison, Forest Prison and Berkendael Prison. Three cell wings in Saint-Gilles will remain in use until the end of 2024. The women's prison in Berkendael is being converted into a detention centre for about 60 short-term prisoners.
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