74,342 people were detained in France as of October 1

The number of prisoners in France rose slightly again with 74,342 people incarcerated on October 1 compared to 73,693 in September, according to data from the Ministry of Justice published Tuesday October 31. This is the third time since the start of the year that the number of prisoners has crossed the 74,000 mark while the number of operational places in French prisons was 60,850 on October 1.

>> Justice reform: visualize the evolution of prison overpopulation since 1990

The overall prison density thus stands at 122.2% compared to 119.2% a year ago. In remand centers, where detainees awaiting trial (therefore presumed innocent) and those sentenced to short sentences are incarcerated, the occupancy rate is 146.3%. It reaches or even exceeds 200% in ten establishments. Among those incarcerated, 19,909 are defendants, incarcerated while awaiting their trial. They represent 26.8% of the total number of prisoners, like last year.

Women represent 3.7% of the prison population

In total, 16,574 detained people are currently in excess of the places available in French prisons. Due to this overcrowding, 2,480 detainees are forced to sleep on a mattress placed on the floor. There were 2,053 in this case a year ago.

In total, 89,646 people were detained as of October 1. Among them, there are 15,304 non-detainees placed under an electronic bracelet or placed outside. The number of women imprisoned (3.7% of the total prison population) and minors (0.8%) remains stable.

Faced with chronic prison overcrowding – which earned France a new condemnation from the European Court of Human Rights in July –, the government is counting on the construction of 15,000 new prison places by 2027.