Almost 82,000 - France breaks record for number of prisoners in jail

The number of prisoners in French prisons reached a record 81,599 people as of February 1 and exceeds the maximum load of the country's penitentiary system by more than 19 thousand units. This is reported in a statement published by the Ministry of Justice of the country, RIA Novosti informed.

As of February 1, there were 62,363 places in cells in French prisons. Thus, the total occupancy rate in the prison system was 130.8%. In a number of penitentiaries, it exceeds 200%, forcing 4.49 thousand people to sleep on mattresses. In pre-trial detention centers, the total load reaches 158.9%.

The record high of 80,000 inmates was first passed on November 1, 2024 (80,130). Since then, the number of prisoners has continued to grow, except for a slight drop on January 1 (80,669 prisoners compared to 80,792 on December 1).

According to study on prison overcrowding published in June by the Council of Europe, France is the 3rd most overcrowded country in Europe, after Cyprus and Romania.

The ECtHR has repeatedly condemned France for the poor conditions in places of detention, in particular overcrowding. In July 2023, the Court ruled that articles of the European Convention on Human Rights had been violated due to prison overcrowding and the lack of targeted improvements.