France's Prisons Hit Record 86,645 Inmates as Overcrowding Deepens

Overview

• Official data for 1 February show 86,645 detainees against 63,289 operational places, an occupancy rate of 136.9%.
• The number forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor reached 6,596, up from 4,490 a year earlier.
• Over the past year the prison population grew by 5,046 inmates (+6.18%) while capacity increased by only 1,643 places.
• Density in maisons d'arrêt stands at 167% for people awaiting trial or serving short terms, with 25 facilities exceeding 200%.
• Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin rejects regulating inmate numbers and plans 3,000 modular places within about 18 months, as the Council of Europe warns of a drift toward a "human warehouse" and unions describe a system near breaking point.