Prison cell - wikipedia Prison cell A contemporary prison cell in Germany A prison cell, also known as a jail cell, is a small room in a prison or police station where a prisoner is held. Cells greatly vary by their furnishings, hygienic services and cleanliness, both across countries and based on the level of punishment to which the prisoner has been sentenced. Contents 1 Description 2 Prison cells in the UK 3 Prison cells in the US 4 High - security cells 5 References 6 External links Description 19th century prison cell in Pawiak, Warsaw The International Committee of the Red Cross recommends that cells be at least 5.4 m in size. Prison cells vary in size internationally from 2 m in Guinea to 12 m in Switzerland. In the United States, prison cells are usually about 6 by 8 feet in dimension, with steel or brick walls and one solid or barred door that locks from the outside. Many modern prison cells are pre-cast. Solid doors may have a window that allows the prisoner to be observed from the outside. Furnishings and fixtures inside the cell are constructed so that they can not be easily broken, and are anchored to the walls or floor. Stainless steel lavatories and commodes are also used. This prevents vandalism or the making of weapons. There are a number of prison and prison cell configurations, from simple police - station holding cells to massive cell blocks in larger correctional facilities. The practice of assigning only one inmate to each cell in a prison is called single - celling. In many countries, the cells are dirty and have very few facilities. Other countries may house many offenders in prisons, making the cells crowded. Prison cells in the uk In the United Kingdom, cells in a police station are the responsibility of the Custody Sergeant, who also logs each detainee and allocates him or her an available cell. Custody Sergeants also ensure cells are clean and as germ - free as possible, in accordance with the Human Rights Act of 1998. Prison cells in the us In the United States, the standard cell is equipped with either a ledge or a steel bedstead that holds a mattress. A one - piece sink / toilet constructed of welded, putatively stainless steel is also provided. Bars typify older jails, while newer ones have doors that typically feature a small safety glass window and, often, a metal flap that can be opened, e.g., to serve meals. A limited number of United States prisons offer upgrades. Costing around $100 a night, these cells are considered cleaner and quieter, and some of them offer extra facilities. High - security cells See also : Prison § Control units, and Solitary confinement Often, different standard for cells exist in a single country and even in a single jail. Some of those cells are reserved for `` isolation '', where a convict is kept alone in a cell as punishment method. Some isolation cells contain no furnishing and no services at all. References Wikimedia Commons has media related to Prison cells. Jump up ^ Theo Deutinger ( October 2017 ). Handbook of Tyranny. Lars Muller Publishers. p. 105. ISBN 978 - 3 - 03778 - 534 - 8. Jump up ^ `` 5 - Sided Precast Prison Cell ''. OldcastlePrecast.com. Retrieved 1 January 2016. Jump up ^ Michael Sherman ; Gordon J. Hawkins ( 1983 ). Imprisonment in America : Choosing the Future. University of Chicago Press. pp. 32 -- 33. ISBN 0 - 226 - 75280 - 1. Jump up ^ The Daily Mail Jump up ^ ABC.net.au Jump up ^ Smh.com.au Jump up ^ `` Human Rights Acts of 1998 '' ( PDF ). justice.org.uk. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 12 March 2002. Retrieved 1 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` Upgrade Your Jail Cell For 80 Bucks A Day ? ''. Digitaljournal.com. 2007 - 04 - 29. Retrieved 2012 - 10 - 26. Jump up ^ `` What Is n't for Sale ? - Michael J. Sandel ''. The Atlantic. 2012 - 02 - 27. Retrieved 2012 - 10 - 26. Jump up ^ `` Legal articles, cases and court decisions ''. Prison Legal News. Retrieved 2012 - 10 - 26. Jump up ^ Giunti, Arianna ( 2014 ). La cella liscia. Storie di ordinaria repressione nelle carceri Italiane ( in Italian ). Italy : Inform - ant. ISBN 9788898194193. External links Look up prison cell in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. 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Question: what is the average size of a prison cell
Answer: about 6 by 8 feet