Overview

• French prisons held 83,681 inmates on May 1, marking a one-year increase of 6,000 and the highest level on record.
• Only 62,570 operational places were available, driving overall occupancy to 133.7%, up from 125.3% in May 2024.
• Twenty-three facilities or quarters operated at over 200% capacity, and pretrial detention centers reached 163.2% occupancy.
• A total of 102,116 people were under judicial supervision or detention, including 21,957 individuals awaiting trial.
• Minister Darmanin labelled the overcrowding unacceptable and has outlined plans to build new prison facilities to address the crisis.