Overview

• Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin announced plans to reestablish partial incarceration fees, requiring prisoners to contribute symbolically to daily operational costs of €10 million.
• Two bills under review in the Assemblée nationale propose exemptions for indigent inmates and pretrial detainees, with fees potentially reaching 25% of daily incarceration costs.
• Funds collected are intended to improve working conditions for prison staff, as outlined in a letter from Darmanin to the prison administration.
• Critics, including former Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti, argue the measure is misaligned with urgent issues like overcrowding and substandard detention conditions.
• The initiative revives a system abolished in 2003, aiming to address France's strained penal budget while raising questions about its impact on prisoner reintegration.