Cushy by comparison, life in Belmarsh

PRISONERS at Belmarsh jail – where Hamza hopes to return – have access to education and workshops and benefit from two gymnasiums, according to the Department of Justice.

One gym focuses on accredited courses while the other is recreational with the use of a sports hall and a weights room.

A 2015 government report found that most prisoners at Belmarsh had at least 30 minutes’ outside exercise and an activity session every day.

It added that most prisoners could expect around seven hours a day out of their cells on weekdays and slightly less at weekends. In contrast, inmates at ADX Florence are confined to tiny cells measuring 7ft by 12ft, and only have access to a black and white television with limited programmes. Those in solitary confinement are only allowed one hour per day of recreation time outside their cells.

It has previously been reported that the bed, desk and stool in the US cells are immovable and cast from poured concrete. Each cell has a slit window with a view onto an inner courtyard and a patch of sky.