Prisons: new record for the number of inmates on 1 April

Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credit: CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT / AFP 21:42 p.m., April 28, 2023

The number of inmates in French prisons reached a new all-time high with 73,080 people incarcerated as of April 1, according to Justice Ministry data released Friday. This is the third consecutive month that the number of prisoners has risen in French prisons, which suffer from chronic prison overcrowding. The previous peak, in December 2022, was 72,836 inmates. Their number had fallen slightly in January before rising again in February.

15,000 additional prison places by the end of the five-year term

On 1 April, French prisons had 60,899 operational places. With 73,080 inmates, the overall prison density is 120% against 117.1% a year ago and 118.7% on March 1. Contacted by AFP, Prune Missoffe, an official at the International Observatory of Prisons (OIP), deplored a "situation that continues to worsen, month after month", despite warnings about the "dramatic conditions of overcrowding" in French prisons. The OIP asks the authorities to "take urgent measures to reduce prison pressure, pending more structural measures".

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This chronic evil of French prisons had earned the France a conviction before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in January 2020. The government wants the construction of 15,000 additional prison places by the end of the five-year term. But if the implementation of this plan progresses, it "is significantly delayed", stressed the Court of Auditors in its annual report published in April. "The 7,000 places that were to be delivered before the end of 2022 have not been built in full," noted the Court of Auditors.

In 2023, ten new establishments currently nearing completion, representing 1,958 places, should be delivered. A total of 24 facilities, half of the initial forecast, are expected to be operational in 2024.