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Prisons: Sanitation

Question for Ministry of Justice

UIN HL1216, tabled on 5 September 2017

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prison places there are without in-cell sanitation or access to toilet facilities.

Answered on

19 September 2017

All prison accommodation has access to either in-cell sanitation (a toilet and wash basin installed in the cell) or toilet facilities accessed through the following means:

• Open Access – some prisoners, including those housed in open conditions, are not locked in their cells and therefore are able to use central facilities at all times;
• Electric Unlocking - cell doors are opened electronically to release prisoners one at a time. When out of their cell, prisoners have access to a restricted area that includes the toilet facility; or
• Manual Unlocking – staff are deployed to unlock prisoners to use toilet facilities. This is only used as a contingency measure.