Chapter 8 • International Legal Standards for the Protection of Persons Deprived of Their Liberty
4.5 Recreational activities
According to Rule 21(1) of the Standard Minimum Rules, “every prisoner
who is not employed in outdoor work shall have at least one hour of suitable exercise in
the open air daily if the weather permits”. As to “young prisoners, and others of suitable
age and physique”, they “shall receive physical and recreational training during the
period of exercise”, and, “to this end space, installations and equipment should be
provided” (Rule 21(2)).
Principle 6 of the Basic Principles further provides that “all prisoners shall
have the right to take part in cultural activities and education aimed at the full
development of the human personality.”
Lastly, according to Principle 28 of the Body of Principles, “a detained or
imprisoned person shall have the right to obtain within the limits of available resources,
if from public sources, reasonable quantities of educational, cultural and informational
material, subject to reasonable conditions to ensure security and good order in the place
of detention or imprisonment.”
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With regard to the police prisons in Zürich, Switzerland, the European
Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment recommended that urgent measures be taken in order to ensure that the
detained persons be authorized to exercise in the fresh air, at least one hour per day, in
conditions permitting them to benefit therefrom fully and by guaranteeing their right to
respect for their private life.106 This recommendation was made in response to the
refusal of the detainees to exercise outside since they were afraid of being seen by the
public handcuffed and accompanied by a police officer.107
Every person deprived of his or her liberty has the right to exercise
outdoors for a minimum of one hour daily in conditions
respecting his or her right to privacy. Certain categories of detainees and
prisoners may require special recreational training.
Detainees and prisoners shall have reasonable access to educational,
cultural and informational material.
106 Council of Europe doc. CPT/Inf (93) 3, Report to the Swiss Federal Council on the Visit to Switzerland carried out by the European
Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 21 to 29 July 1991, p. 75 in the French
text.
107 Ibid., p. 20, paras. 22-23.
Human Rights in the Administration of Justice: A Manual on Human Rights for Judges, Prosecutors and Lawyers
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