Prison density, greater than or equal to 200% in around fifteen establishments or penitentiary areas, forces more than 4,000 inmates to sleep on mattresses placed on the floor.
Published on 01/01/2025 07:49
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This is a new record. As of December 1, 80,792 people were detained in France, for 62,404 places, according to figures posted online Tuesday December 31 by the Ministry of Justice.
Prison overcrowding continues to break records month after month. The overall prison density was 129.5% as of December 1. This density, greater than or equal to 200% in around fifteen establishments or penitentiary areas, forces more than 4,000 prisoners to sleep on mattresses placed on the floor. The prison density even reaches 156.8% in remand centers, where detainees awaiting trial, therefore presumed innocent, and those sentenced to short sentences are incarcerated.
France is among the worst performers in Europe in terms of prison overcrowding, in third position behind Cyprus and Romania, according to a study published in June by the Council of Europe. However, measures have been taken to try to remedy this problem, such as the ban on prison sentences of less than one month, the adjustment of sentences and the development of community service.
These new figures come after the previous Minister of Justice, Didier Migaud, warned that the implementation of the plan to build 15,000 additional prison places by 2027 could not be honored on time.
