FranceLink

Prison wardens picket France's overcowded, understaffed jails

Protesting prison staff blockaded the entrances to about 40 jails with police having to intervene at some to allow prisoners to be moved.

La rédaction de Mediapart

This article is freely available.

To support Mediapart subscribe

French prison wardens picketed three-quarters of the country’s jails on Tuesday during a day of industrial action to protest at security in the overcrowded penitentiary system. Police clashed with pickets at several establishments, reports RFI.

Protesting prison staff blockaded the entrances to about 40 prisons nationwide on Tuesday morning and at several police forcibly moved them to allow prisoners to be moved.

The main union, Ufap-Unsa, called the action to protest at an “extremely tense” situation which has led to six hostage-takings in the least three months, according to union officials.

Reports under successive governments have concluded that France’s jails are overcrowded and understaffed.

Read more of this report from RFI.