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<p>New prison accommodation being delivered under the Government’s prison expansion
programme, including at the recently opened HMP Five Wells, will meet the standard
set by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment, that all prisoners in multi-occupancy cells are afforded
a minimum of four square metres of living space.</p><p>Some cells in older prisons
- Victorian prisons, for example – may fall short of these recommended minimum standards.
In such cases, other alleviating factors are found. These factors include in particular
the fact that prisoners are able to spend a considerable amount of time each day outside
their cells (in workshops, classes or other activities).</p><p>On 22 April 2022, HMPPS
published a revised framework for the certification of prisoner accommodation. Cells
are only shared where a Prison Group Director has assessed them to be decent and of
an adequate size and condition. In addition, they must have adequate lighting, heating,
ventilation and fittings, have 24-hour access to water and sanitation, and allow prisoners
to communicate at any time with a prison officer. These standards ensure that prisoners
are accommodated safely even when two prisoners are held in a cell (originally designed
for one).</p><p> </p>
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