On June 1, global prison density exceeded 200% in 22 establishments or penitentiary districts in France. Overcrowding in prison is added to the problem of the heat wave that surrounds the prisons.
The number of detainees in French prisons was 84,447 on June 1, a figure higher than that recorded on May 1 and which already constituted an unequaled level, according to data obtained this Monday, June 30 with the Ministry of Justice.
French prisons had only 62,566 operational places on June 1, i.e. a global prison density of 135% which even exceeded 200% in 22 establishments or penitentiary districts.
These figures are added to the problem of the heat wave which surround the prisons. Since “last weekend”, the heat wave plan has been applied in “all French prisons”, according to the Ministry of Justice.
“We know how to manage the heat wave, the overpopulation less”
But this plan “does not solve the real question: overcrowding” with prisoners sometimes four per cell, believes Jean-François Fogliarino, secretary general of the National Syndicate of Prison Directors (SNDP-CFDT).
“We know how to manage the heat wave, the overcrowding less. The situation is unlivable,” he says, in particular in “the downtime in the city center which are not equipped in air conditioning” and where “it is even worse” to be two or three per cell to sleep piled up on mattresses.
“The prison overpopulation makes it very complicated, everything is embolized, everything is slower,” he adds.
The prison administration has organized, for example, “access to the favored shower, beyond the number of weekly showers provided for by the regulations, depending on the jobs of the time of day and the configuration of the premises”.
It also plans to “shift walks and sports sessions at the start of the morning and at the end of the afternoon as far as possible”.
France is among the bad students in Europe in terms of prison overcrowding, in third position behind Cyprus and Romania, according to a study published in June 2024 by the Council of Europe.
