The number of detainees in France reached an all-time high in November, with 72,809 people behind bars, surpassing the previous record set just before the arrest in mid-March 2020, according to statistics from the Ministry of Justice. On November 1, French prisons held 72,809 inmates for 60,698 operational places, meaning prison density was 120%, compared to 115.4% a year earlier.
The previous record (72,575 inmates) was set in March 2020, on the eve of the decision to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to a sharp decrease in the number of prisoners. The statistics have been rising steadily since then, until last month they reached an all-time high when 72,350 people were incarcerated on October 1st.
Mattresses placed on the floor
There are 2,997 more prisoners in one year, on October 1, 2021 there were 69,812, an increase of 4.3%. According to the official data of the Ministry, there are currently 15,469 more detainees than the available places in the penitentiary institutions (compared to 13,170 a year ago). Due to this overcrowding, 2,225 are forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor.
3.5% of prisoners are women, 0.8% are minors. More than a quarter (26.9%) of those arrested are defendants, meaning people awaiting trial and therefore presumed innocent. In the penitentiaries where these defendants and those sentenced to short sentences are incarcerated, the density of detention rises to 142.8%.
Source: Le Figaro
I’m Ashley Mark, a news website author for Buna Times. I specialize in writing articles about current trends and breaking news stories. With my passion for uncovering the truth behind every story, I strive to bring readers the most up-to-date information available.