- 71 The attraction of home leave to prisoners cannot be understated. Most inmates met by the CPT’s delegation made it clear that the prospect of home leave was a major incentive for good behaviour. Indeed, home leave is currently an important factor in the maintenance of order within Greek prisons. However, the perceived lack of transparency in the decision-making process of Prison Councils and the absence of written reasons provided to inmates – in Thiva Prison there was a general policy not to provide inmates with any written communication at all – undermined prisoners’ confidence in the system. Further, foreign national prisoners complained that they were excluded from applying for home leave even if they and their family had been resident in Greece for many years. The CPT recommends that prisons be granted the necessary resources to ensure that applications for home leave are evaluated in a rigorous manner. Further, inmates should be fully aware of the criteria for which home leave may be granted and receive a decision on their application in writing, giving specific reasons in the event of rejection92. The CPT also invites the Greek authorities to consider extending the home leave system to all foreign nationals who have resident status in Greece. c. discipline and segregation 147. In most of the prisons visited there was limited resort to the use of segregation for disciplinary reasons. 148. As to the material conditions in the segregation units visited, in Chios Prison, the single isolation cell had been refurbished since 2005 but the lighting remained poor and the toilet area was filthy. The CPT recommends that these deficiencies be remedied. In Malandrino Prison the ten-cell segregation unit was apparently no longer used as the prison management was of the view that it did not provide adequate conditions for holding prisoners. An examination of the premises by the delegation confirmed their dilapidated state. The CPT recommends that the segregation cells in Malandrino Prison be renovated before they are brought back into service. In Patras Prison, the segregation unit consisted of two cages of some 6m² each and seven small cells, none of which was more than 2.2m². The size of these cells was totally unacceptable for holding prisoners overnight and the delegation made an immediate observation at the end of the visit requesting that these cells be taken out of service. By letter of 23 February 2010, the Greek authorities informed the Committee that the segregation area was being renovated and that seven cells with adjoining exercise yards would be constructed. The CPT would like to receive precise information on the size of the cells in the renovated segregation unit. 92 There may be exceptional cases where giving specific reasons would not be appropriate; however, the reasons should be clearly recorded in the appropriate register and the prisoner concerned should have the right to appeal the decision to the First Instance Court.