- 56 3. Conditions of detention a. material conditions 100. The material conditions in the prisons visited were generally very poor. All prisons visited by the delegation operated above their capacity, resulting in cramped conditions in prisoner accommodation; the overcrowding reached extreme proportions in several establishments. Regrettably, the provisions in the 1999 Greek Prison Law, setting down the standards of accommodation and the norms for a safe environment, including health and hygiene, to be provided to each prisoner, were still far from being complied with.60 Some of the conditions encountered can easily be considered as amounting to inhuman and degrading treatment. 101. Korydallos Men’s Prison has been described in previous visit reports.61 At the time of the 2013 visit, it was accommodating more than 2,300 prisoners for an official capacity of 840. During the 2013 visit, just like during previous visits,62 the delegation observed that cells originally designed for single-occupancy and measuring 9.5 m² were routinely used for three or even four inmates. The delegation found cells in which prisoners had to sleep on mattresses placed on the floor in the toilet areas, due to lack of available space. These are merely examples of a generally bad situation that persists across the entire facility. Cell A-3 in wing E measures 36 m² and was equipped with 16 beds. However, at the time of the visit it was accommodating 27 inmates, both remand and convicted prisoners, leaving less than 1.5 m² per person. Nine of the prisoners were sleeping on the concrete floor63 on extremely filthy and torn mattresses, two of them in the toilet area. The cell was infested with cockroaches and bed bugs and there was hardly any space left within which to move. Cell B-3 in wing E contained 14 beds and held 19 prisoners, with five prisoners sleeping on mattresses on the floor. There was no artificial light available at all during the night, and prisoners had to step on their cellmates in order to access the toilet, which was filthy. Further, the delegation noted that the garbage containers in the corridor outside the cell were full of food waste, which had not been emptied for some time and emitted a foul smell. 102. Korydallos Female Remand Prison is located across the road from the Men’s Prison, and was already described in the CPT report on its 2005 visit. Since 2008, convicted female prisoners have been sent to Thiva Female Prison to serve their sentence, and subsequently the former wing A had been demolished. At the time of the delegation’s visit, the prison consisted of two wings (B and C); it had an official capacity of 150 places, but was holding 193 women, 40 of whom were awaiting transfer to Thiva Prison. A new wing was under construction at the time of the delegation’s visit and was apparently close to completion; this new wing should lead to better conditions for inmates and in particular alleviate the overcrowding. 60 61 62 63 See, for example, Article 21 on prisoner’s living area, which provides inter alia for prison accommodation to consist of cells and exceptionally wards for up to six persons, and that wards should provide at least 6 m² of space per prisoner. CPT/Inf (2010) 33, paragraph 99. See, for example, CPT/Inf (2010) 33, paragraph 111. Of the 27 inmates, four of them were sharing two beds.