“The right and the far right are overplaying this controversy”estimated the deputy Renaissance Caroline Abadie, Monday August 22 on franceinfo, in reaction to the controversy which follows the organization within the prison of Fresnes (Val-de-Marne) of filmed tests inspired by the emission Koh Lanta for the benefit of associations, including a karting event. “These are two detainees who go karting among the 72,000 detainees in France, it’s not like that every day, neither in Fresnes nor elsewhere, far from it”, underlined the elected official from Isère, rapporteur for the commission of inquiry into prison policy under the previous legislature. The Minister of Justice, Éric Dupond-Moretti, nevertheless “ordered an investigation” administration on the subject.
franceinfo: Do you agree with the Minister of Justice, Éric Dupond-Moretti when he says that “the fight against recidivism goes through reintegration, but certainly not through karting”?
Caroline Abadie: I completely understand that he is asking for an investigation. Presumably, the images we saw did not correspond to what he expected. It is therefore quite logical that he tries to shed light on this story. Karting is perhaps not the activity most conducive to reintegration, but it must be admitted that reintegration is essential and that it sometimes involves tools which may be innovative, which may seem out of step with what that we imagine, but which can bear fruit.
“I think that we will also have to assess whether, during these few days of ‘joy’, there have been fewer disciplinary acts inside the prison of Fresnes, whether we have young people who have resumed their destiny a little in hand.”
Caroline Abadie, Renaissance MPat franceinfo
This is the question that must also be asked in order to evaluate this operation precisely.
What do you think of this “Koh-Lanta” organized at Fresnes prison?
I didn’t know that you could go karting in a prison, so I’m rather surprised. I don’t know whether to be shocked by this image. Don’t imagine that’s all that happened. There were also quizzes.
“They [l’équipe des détenus, mais aussi celle des surveillants et des habitants de Fresnes auxquels ils faisaient face] fought for associations. The cause is beautiful.”
Caroline Abadieat franceinfo
Having interviewed many associations that work in prison, we are now able to do a telethon there, to do cooking classes. We’ve seen them before, these images, so I don’t think we should absolutely be shocked that we can do things in prison. Prisoners need National Education, need vocational training, need work and also need leisure. Today, they rarely leave their cells. They spend almost 20 hours out of 24 in an overcrowded cell. We know the conditions of detention in Fresnes: no shower in the cell, three showers a week. We can also put all this in a context. It’s a day in a year. These are two detainees who go karting among the 72,000 detainees in France. It’s not like that every day, neither in Fresnes nor elsewhere, far from it.
Some prison unions also recalled the dilapidated state of Fresnes prison. They estimated that the money that was spent on this operation could have been used to partially finance the necessary renovations. How do you answer them?
What I know is that the prison administration did not finance this operation and that it is entirely financed by the producers. [cette vidéo est un épisode de la compétition Kohlantess, diffusée sur Internet].
“To renovate Fresnes, it would take some 300 million euros. I don’t think this program could have cost its producers so much.”
Caroline Abadieat franceinfo
We are really not on the same scale at all. It’s a debate, I think, to get attention. What I regret is that indeed, the right and the extreme right, inevitably, overplay this controversy. These are the same people who, when they are at the head of the regions, do not finance the professional training that we need today to help these prisoners get out of recidivism.