Overcrowding in French prisons reaches record high

By

France’s prison population has reached a record total of 72,836, according to official figures released this week by the justice ministry. While the country’s jails are on average overcrowded at a rate of 120% of their official capacity, some are at more than 200% of capacity, and more than 2,000 inmates are forced to sleep on mattresses laid out on cell floors. Michel Deléan reports. 


Reading articles is for subscribers only. Subscribe now.

France’s prison population has reached a record high, with a total of 72,836 people recorded behind bars on December 1st, a year-on-year rise of 4.1%, according to monthly statistics published earlier this week by the justice ministry.