The 188 French prison establishments had 70,246 prisoners at the beginning of the month for 60,619 operational places
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The number of detainees rose above 70,000 people on March 1, a threshold that had not been reached in French prisons since the start of the health crisis two years ago, according to official figures published Thursday 31 March.
The 188 French prison establishments had 70,246 prisoners on March 1 for 60,619 operational places, i.e. an overall prison density of 115.9% against 105.9% a year ago. Forty-six of these prisons have a density greater than 150%. It even reaches or exceeds 200% in six establishments (Bordeaux-Gradignan, Rochefort, Fontenay-le-Comte, La Roche-sur-Yon, Perpignan and Nîmes).
France has, since March 1, more than 70,000 people behind the walls of its #jails. https://t.co/hahVmZVvUP pic.twitter.com/NcHdtNMpQi
— OIP (@OIP_sectionfr) March 31, 2022
Since the fall of 2020, with the full resumption of post-lockdown judicial activity, the prison population has continued to increase, month after month inexorably approaching the threshold of 70,000 people incarcerated. Over one year, there are 5,841 additional detainees.
It is in remand centers, where prisoners awaiting trial – and therefore presumed innocent – and those sentenced to short sentences are imprisoned, that this increase is the strongest. In these establishments, the prison density was 96.9% on July 1, 2020. It rose to 114.6% three months later, then reached 124% on March 1, 2021. It now stands at 137.7%.