at 1Ahem In November, 80,130 people were imprisoned in French prisons, which had a capacity of 62,357 places, according to figures from the Ministry of Justice published on Friday, November 29, which constitutes a new peak in prison overcrowding. at 1Ahem In October 2024, the number of prisoners in French prisons was 79,631 and in November 2023, 75,130.
The general prison density was 128.5% on 1Ahem November. This prison density, which exceeds 200% in 13 establishments, forces 3,962 inmates to sleep on mattresses placed on the floor. Prison density reaches 155.1% in pretrial detention centers, where those detained awaiting trial and therefore presumed innocent, and those sentenced to short sentences, are imprisoned.
“It is an unmatched record”said a source contacted by Agence France-Presse (AFP) of the Ministry of Justice, regretting that the threshold of 80,000 detainees has been exceeded. Among those imprisoned, 20,831 are accused, detained pending a final sentence.
In total, 96,569 people were detained at 1Ahem November. Among them, there are 16,439 non-detainees placed under an electronic bracelet or placed outside.
France is among the countries in Europe with the worst results in terms of prison overcrowding, in third position behind Cyprus and Romania, according to a study published in June by the Council of Europe.
However, measures have been taken to try to remedy this problem, such as the prohibition of prison sentences of less than one month, the adjustment of sentences and the development of community service.
These new figures on prison overpopulation come when the Minister of Justice, Didier Migaud, has warned that the implementation of the plan to build 15,000 additional prison places until 2027 will not be able to be completed on time.
Some 6,400 additional places planned until 2027
In a hearing before the Senate Law Commission on the justice budget for 2025, the Minister of Justice insisted on the “difficulties” met “in the schedule of the main construction operations”stating that only “42%” of the 15,000 new prison places should be operational in 2027, that is, 6,421, “if everything goes well”. “The completion of the “15,000 plan” will not be operationally possible before 2029, in the best of cases”he clarified.
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While you wait for this plan “absolutely necessary” results, a source from the Ministry of Justice interviewed by AFP mentioned “the rehabilitation of closed penitentiary establishments”, “the construction of modular structures” like in Belgium or Germany or even “the conversion of disused public buildings”. Mr. Migaud has just launched three emergency missions, one of which affects the prison world.
“Prison is necessary, it is there to punish and protect citizens, but imprisonment must be carried out in safe conditions for the agents and dignified conditions for the prisoners”explained the Keeper of the Seals. Faced with prison overpopulation, we must “Consider all possible tools”including “Alternative measures to imprisonment for minor crimes”.
At the end of October, the International Penitentiary Observatory and around thirty other organizations, including the French Lawyers’ Union, the Magistrates’ Union and the National Council of Lawyers, called in a joint text to “Fundamental reforms aimed at reducing the use of incarceration and its duration, based on a change in society’s perspective”.
“The prison must stop being considered the benchmark of the penitentiary system, and its alternatives, far from being symbolic, must replace confinement”the signatory organizations wished.
In mid-March, the Council of Europe expressed its “deep concern” on chronic overcrowding in French prisons. The institution invited the French authorities to “Seriously and rapidly examine the idea of introducing a binding national mechanism for prison regulation”.
