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French Prisons Strain Under Record 83,681 Inmates

Thousands of prisoners are forced to sleep on floor mattresses as facilities exceed capacity by over a third.

Manifestation contre la violence carcérale et pour la dignité humaine en prison, à Lyon, le 25 mai 2025
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Emmanuel Macron et Gérald Darmanin visitent la prison de Vendin-le-Vieil, France, le 14 mai 2025.
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Overview

  • As of May 1, French prisons held 83,681 inmates against 62,570 operational places for a nationwide density of 133.7%.
  • Twenty-three facilities report occupancy above 200%, with pre-trial detention centers operating at 163.2% capacity.
  • Human rights groups warn that overcrowding has driven 5,234 inmates to sleep on mattresses on the floor and undermines healthcare and safety.
  • Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin has called conditions “unacceptable” and is pushing modular prison construction alongside differentiated facilities and foreign inmate expulsions.
  • The government is exploring renting cells in Eastern Europe and plans a new 500-bed ultra-secure unit in French Guiana to relieve chronic overcrowding.