Suicides in France's overcrowded prisons: the families battling for the truth
The number of suicides among prisoners in France is steadily increasing, while overcrowding of prisons is soaring. Often, the families and close entourage of the deceased face a lengthy legal battle to establish the circumstances of their deaths and the eventual responsibility of the prison authorities who, some complain, treat them with insensitivity and even disdain. Feriel Alouti reports on their distressing experiences.
“Even“Even when he was alive, he was already dead,” said Soraya (not her real name), staring straight ahead, as she recalled the events of the morning of September 8th last year. That Sunday, she had received a call from a prisoner at the Aix-Luynes prison, close to the town of Aix-en-Provence in southern France. “There are quite a lot of people in front of Karim’s cell,” said the caller. “I can see a body covered with a white sheet.”
