- 25 The delegation was particularly concerned by the material conditions of detention observed in the isolation unit in wing D, used for prisoners segregated on their own request. The nine cells in this unit were deprived of access to natural light, stuffy, damp and in a very bad state of repair. Prisoners slept on mattresses placed directly on the floor, and the delegation observed that many of the mattresses were filthy and infested with vermin. The CPT recommends that material conditions in the isolation unit in wing D be substantially improved as a matter of priority; in particular, prisoners should be provided with mattresses which are clean and regularly disinfected. Further, the cells’ ventilation should be verified. 4. Avlona Institution for Male Juvenile Offenders 58. The Institution for Male Juvenile Offenders in Avlona entered into service in August 1998, following the transfer of juvenile prisoners from Korydallos Prison and other prisons. The establishment is situated in a rural setting some 40 km Northwest of Athens, on the site of a former military prison. It comprises a number of buildings located within a fairly large compound (5 acres), surrounded by a secure perimeter. With an official capacity of 308 places, on the day of the visit the establishment was holding 279 inmates, aged between 14 and 21 years. Nearly half of them were foreign nationals. It should be stated from the outset that the creation of a special facility for juvenile offenders in Avlona represents by its very nature a change for the better, compared with the situation witnessed by the CPT’s delegation in 1997 at the Korydallos Prison Complex. However, the information gathered by the delegation suggests that there is considerable scope for improvement, in particular as regards activities. a. material conditions 59. The bulk of the prisoner accommodation was provided in a three-storey building which was capable of offering satisfactory conditions of detention. There were some 70 cells of an identical size (some 18 m²) and design: a living area (15 m²), furnished with two bunk beds, lockers, a table, and a TV set provided by the establishment, and a sanitary annexe (3 m²) containing a toilet, sink and shower. The cells were holding 2 to 4 inmates each. The state of cleanliness and decoration of the cells varied, and was clearly a function of the neatness of the cell’s occupants. However, the delegation observed that, because of problems with the plumbing, half of the cells on the ground floor of the main accommodation building were in a very bad state of repair and hygiene (water dripping from the sanitary annexes’ ceilings, wastewater overflowing from the sewage pipes, ceilings covered with green algae, moist walls, broken or missing sinks, an allpervading smell of urine). Cells 6, 17, 19 and 20 in particular were found to be in an appalling state. 60. At the time of the visit, 32 inmates were segregated, on account of their disruptive behaviour, in a separate one-level building (connected by a corridor to the main building). It comprised ten cells holding up to 4 inmates each. The cells were similar in size and design to those in the main building. However, the state of cleanliness within the building left something to be desired.