The schedule will not be maintained. Didier Migaud, new Minister of Justice, was clear during his speech on “20 Hours” on France 2, on Tuesday, November 19: the realization of the plan that foresees the construction of 15,000 prison places between now and 2027 is “hardly”. “We must take measures to compensate for this delay. We are considering a bill to speed up the procedures. We must move away from the single prison model. […] Not all of the prison population is made up of serious criminals. “We need diversified solutions, smaller centers that require less security”, declared the Keeper of the Seals who had promised to participate in a “operation truth” on this very delicate topic.
Led by his predecessor in the Place Vendôme, Eric Dupond-Moretti, the “15,000 plan” is far from the goal: to date, less than a third has been achieved and only 42% of the goal will be reached in 2027. “If we do not act, at the end of the five-year period only 6,421 new prison places will be built.” added the former socialist. In ” the best of cases »This plan will not be finalized until 2029 and only if very significant budgetary efforts are made starting in 2026. Suffice it to say that, in the current economic situation, this optimistic vision is compromised.
The reasons for these delays are multiple. First, the goal always seemed elusive given its scale. To this we must add the cumbersome procedures but also the very high technical requirements. There is also very strong local resistance, whether from elected officials, residents, or both. The reasons given are safety and/or the environment. Furthermore, the Foreign Ministry recalls that “Different crises have occurred (the Covid-19 pandemic, or the war between Russia and Ukraine), increasing supply times and making the work of construction companies difficult”. Finally, we must not forget many technical and environmental risks, such as the protection of protected species, archaeological excavations, etc.
“Explosive” situation
However, it is urgent to act. The situation in prisons is more critical than ever. At the beginning of November a new record was broken: there are currently more than 80,000 prisoners in France in just over 62,000 operational posts. In preventive detention centers, where prisoners awaiting trial, and therefore presumed innocent, are imprisoned, as well as those sentenced to short sentences, the average density is 156%, with peaks of more than 200% in about twenty establishments, including 4,000 floor mattresses. (+60% in one year). And the ministry’s forecasts are alarming: more than 86,500 detainees should be received in January 2026, and more than 93,000 in 2027, an increase of 5,500 detainees per year on average.
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