The padding is an attempt to prevent patients from hurting themselves by hitting their head (or other body parts) on the hard surface of the walls.
Personal Safety Rooms are still used throughout the world and can be beneficial in providing a safe environment for not only occupants but also staff, and can prevent work-related injuries in the facilities.
[citation needed] A reconstructed padded cell is maintained at the Mental Health Museum, Fieldhead Hospital, Wakefield, UK.
[2][3] In the UK, seclusion is defined by the Mental Health Act 1983 Code of Practice as: "the supervised confinement of a patient in a room, which may be locked.
There is evidence that seclusion rooms and padded cells are used as punishment for minor behavioral problems in public schools and special education programs.