
France
Capital city — Paris
Country population
i01/01/2023/ Council of Europe, SPACE I Report 2023, table 3.Incarceration rate (per 100,000 inhabit…
i01/01/2024Type of government
Human Development Index
Homicide rate (per 100,000 inhabitants)
Name of authority in charge of the pris…
Total number of incarcerated people
i01/01/2024Average length of imprisonment (in mont…
i2022/ Council of Europe, SPACE I Report 2023, table 31.Prison density
122.9 %On 1 February, pr…
i29/02/2024/ Le MondeTotal number of prison facilities
187Nineteen prisons…
i30/04/2024/ France InfoAn NPM has been established
Female prisoners
i01/01/2024Incarcerated minors
i01/01/2024Percentage of untried prisoners
30.4 %As of April 2024,…
i30/04/2024/ France InfoDeath penalty is abolished
yes, since 1981The last executio…
Prison Life Index
The evaluations measure the violations of prisoner rights by the State. They are based on extensive desk research and expert evaluations. Please refer to the methodology to find out how the Prison Life Index data is collected, sorted, and aggregated.
The data and information for France were collected between July 2024 and October 2024.
Translated by Leah Buhain.
Eating, sleeping, showering
Food
People in prison have access to drinking water
People in prison have access to food
People in prison have access to drinking water in their cells. Interruptions in supply have been reported, such as in Rennes women’s prison during the summer of 2023.
The prison administration is obligated to provide people in prison with a “varied, well-prepared, and properly presented diet” (Article R323-1, Penal Code). However, in practice, the food is often insufficient and of poor quality. The prison administration’s budget for meals is around three euros per meal per person. A morning snack and two meals are provided daily, with dinner usually served between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. During a visit to Meaux-Chauconin Prison, the Controller-General of Places of Deprivation and Liberty (Contrôleur Général des Lieux de Privation de Liberté, CGLPL) noted dissatisfaction among people in prison regarding the quality of meals and the failure to adhere to regulated portion sizes.
Accommodation
People in prison have sufficient living space
People in prison can sleep in good conditions
The premises are in good condition, clean and accessible
The standards for minimum living space per person are not set by law, but by a 1988 circular. Prisons are significantly overcrowded, with 78.969 people detained as of 1 September 2024, compared to a housing capacity of 62.014 places. Official data shows that 46 % of people in prison are housed in facilities where occupancy exceeds 150 %. Overcrowding is mainly concentrated in facilities which accommodate those in pre-trial detention or serving sentences of two years or less. This issue is particularly severe in prisons located in the French overseas territories. For instance, Majicavo prison accommodated 650 people in September 2024 despite having only 278 operational places.
Not all people in prison have a bed due to overcrowded cells. As of September 2024, the prison administration reported that 3.609 individuals were forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor because of a lack of space.
Hygiene and sanitation issues remain frequent. Several facilities are in poor condition, as observed by the CGLPL in 2022 during visits to the prisons of Charleville-Mézières and Faa’a Nuutania and again in 2023 at the Nantes prison. At the Fonds Sarail prison (Baie-Mauhault), electrical systems are defective.
Prison cells are often ill-suited to the climate, even in newer facilities. At Beaumettes Prison in Marseille, people in prison reported in 2019 that noise-reducing windows blocked air circulation, creating unbearable conditions during the summer.1 In 2024, the organisation Notre affaire à tous reported that all prisons across the country are vulnerable to climate-related risks, especially during heatwaves.
International Prison Observatory – French section, Prisoner’s Guide, 2019, pp. 171-172. ↩
Personal hygiene
Adequate sanitary facilities allow people in prison to maintain their personal hygiene
People in prison have access to personal hygiene products
People in prison have access to clothing
Most cells are equipped with toilets1. In multiple occupancy cells, the absence of fully partitioned toilet facilities denies any privacy. Showers are not available in all cells, and access to communal showers depends on the internal rules of each facility and staff availability. The shower facilities are frequently in poor condition, damaged by humidity and mould. 2
Upon arrival, people in prison are given a hygiene kit containing basic personal hygiene products. However, it does not cover all essential needs and is only restocked for those deemed indigent.
Medical care
Preventive framework
A disease transmission risk reduction programme is in place
People in prison have access to health awareness and information programmes
Screening programmes make it possible to diagnose people with contagious diseases
Equipment and infrastructures limiting the risk of disease and infection transmission are available
Vaccination programmes are organised
People in prison receive a medical examination upon admission
Health units may organise health awareness programme, such as information sessions or workshops. In practice, these initiatives are often limited due to insufficient staff. Screenings for common diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis B and C, are available during the initial medical check-up.1 Equipment limiting the risk of disease and infection transmission is provided but remain scarce. Condoms are required to be provided by the administration but are primarily stored in health units and rarely accessible. Risk reduction measures such as the provision of syringes, are often denied citing security concerns.
International Prison Observatory – French section, Prisoner’s Guide, 2019, p. 339. ↩
General health care
Access to general health care is quick and consistent
Health workers are qualified and independent
Adequate health infrastructures are available
Health care workers and the organisation of medical services in prisons are overseen by the French Ministry of Health.
Each prison is equipped with a health unit, staffed by health workers assigned from the local hospital. However, these units are frequently understaffed and undersized, particularly in overcrowded facilities. At Lyon-Corbas Prison, for example, the health unit had no general practitioner as of September 2023, despite serving a population of 1.100 people in prison. The unit typically handles around 120 consultations daily.
Waiting times for medical consultations can be lengthy. In facilities where women and men are held, women face additional challenges, as they are not allowed to access health care services at the same time as men. While health units have designated closed spaces for consultations, confidentiality is not always guaranteed. Medical appointments outside the prison are often cancelled at the last minute due to insufficient escort staff.
Larger facilities have round-the-clock medical coverage, but in smaller facilities, senior surveillance staff must implement the hospital’s instructions during nights and weekends.1
International Prison Observatory – French section, Prisoner’s Guide, 2019, p. 339. ↩
Mental health and dental care
Access to mental health and dental care is quick and consistent
Mental health and dental care workers are qualified and independent
Adequate mental health and dental care infrastructures are available
The specialised health care system in prisons falls short of addressing the needs of people in detention, especially regarding mental health. Experts reported a severe mental health crisis, with a high incidence of suicides. There is a notable shortage of mental health and dental care workers.
Psychiatrists, psychologists, and dentists are scarce and typically only available on an irregular basis, often focusing on emergency cases. Waiting times for appointments can stretch to several months.
Access to mental health and dental care is hindered by numerous barriers. The French section of the International Prison Observatory (OIP-SF) described in 2022 the situation as follows: “Difficulties in accessing specialised care are varied: long waiting times for appointments at the prison health unit or the affiliated hospital, cancelled transfers, people forgoing treatment to avoid degrading transfer conditions, and the inability to bring prescribed medical equipment into prison”.
Care for people with specific needs
People experiencing gender transition can access the necessary care
Elderly people can access the necessary care
Children can access the necessary care
Women can access the necessary care
People with communicable diseases can access the necessary care
People with addictions can access the necessary care
People with mental illnesses or psychiatric disorders can access the necessary care
People with physical disabilities can the access necessary care
Access to health care in prisons reveals significant disparities based on the specific needs of people.
Transgender individuals face considerable difficulties in accessing transition-related health care, such as hormone treatments, surgical procedures, and psychological support.1
The number of elderly people in prison has increased sixfold over the past 25 years. However, their medical care remains inadequate. Doctors report challenges in obtaining geriatric medical equipment. Elderly individuals often struggle to access in-cell assistance, frequently depending on help from their cell mates.
Women in prison face additional barriers to both general and specialised health care. The availability of gynaecological services varies greatly between facilities. In some prisons, such as Borgo prison, no such services were available in 2021. People with mental health disorders are primarily housed in general prison wings rather than specialised facilities.
While 26 regional medical-psychiatric units are tasked with providing day hospitalisation for these individuals, they served only 3 % of the prison population in 2021, despite 22 % suffering from mental health conditions. Admission to these services is typically subject to lengthy waiting times.
Continuity of care
People in prison can continue the health care or treatments started before admission
An individual medical file is opened upon admission and is accessible to the patient
The continuity of care is inconsistent. While treatments, including substitution therapies, are supposed to be maintained, disruptions are reported, especially during transfers.
Each person in prison has a comprehensive medical file, but accessing it remains complicated. In most cases, individuals must submit a written request to the designated hospital to obtain it.
Being protected
Legal safeguards
People in prison can access legal assistance
People in prison are able to notify a third party in the event of detention, transfer, serious illness or injury
Each person in prison has a confidential file in the official, complete and up-to-date registers
People in prison have access to the internal regulations of the facility they are held in
Every person in prison is entitled to request legal counsel of their choice or be assigned a court-appointed lawyer. Most facilities have legal access 1 that provides basic legal assistance. However, experts highlighted that many people in prison are unaware of the availability of legal services, their right to a court-appointed lawyer, or the option of legal aid for indigent people.
People in prison must be allowed to make a phone call to a loved on upon arrival in prison or following a transfer. These calls are facilitated using a prepaid phone card provided by the prison administration, which covers approximately five minutes of call time for numbers within mainland France2. Experts reported that this card is not systematically offered, and there are instances where loved ones are not properly informed, particularly in cases of hospitalisation.
Upon admission, every individual must be informed of the rules governing their prison regime (Article L311-1, Penal Code). The facility’s internal regulations should theoretically be made available to incarcerated people. In practice, an excerpt of the regulations is often provided upon arrival or posted in communal areas. This excerpt is frequently outdated or incomplete. Access to the full version, which is usually kept in the library, is often challenging.
Physical and psychological integrity
There is a comprehensive preventive and protective framework
The disciplinary system set out by public regulation is proportionate and appropriate
The different categories of people in prison are placed in separate facilities or wards
The working and training conditions of prison staff contribute to the preventive framework
The preventive framework is effective
People in prison are not subjected to physical harm
Discipline is enforced in a proportionate way
People in prison are not subjected to abusive, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
The Penal Code regulates the disciplinary system in prison. Experts highlighted that the definitions of actions considered offences are often unclear.
The principle of separating individuals awaiting trial from those serving sentences is not respected in remand centres. These facilities accommodate both those awaiting trial and individuals serving sentences of less than two years. Many individuals with longer sentences are also held there while awaiting transfer to other facilities. The allocation of people in prison is based on the gender recorded on their civil status. As a result, transgender individuals who have not legally changed their gender are often placed in facilities that do not align with their gender identity.1 The Fleury-Mérogis men’s remand centre is the only prison with a dedicated unit for transgender people. People placed in this unit are subjected to conditions similar to solitary confinement, with a restricted exercise yard designed to limit interactions with the general prison population.
Staff shortages impact the operation of facilities and compromise the safety of people in prison. Prison management relies on theoretical capacity figures, failing to account for the widespread overcrowding in many facilities.
A 2024 report by the French section of the International Prison Observatory identified major inconsistencies in disciplinary practices. Experts interviewed in the report cited frequent searches, including strip searches, as well as the overuse of force and prolonged solitary confinement.
In June 2024, the Controller-General of Places of Deprivation of Liberty (CGLPL) issued urgent recommendations following an inspection of Tarbes Prison. Numerous accounts reported physical and psychological violence inflicted by members of the surveillance team. The report described the prison’s operation as “marked by arbitrariness and violence”.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) condemned France in 2023 for the inhumane conditions at Fresnes Prison, deeming them a violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Court had previously condemned France in 2020 for violating the same article due to conditions in the prisons of Nice, Nîmes, Fresnes, Ducos, and Faa’a-Nuutania.
International Prison Observatory – French section, Prisoner’s Guide p.19. ↩
Complaint, appeal and inspection measures
Inspection mechanisms are in place
Internal or administrative inspections are carried out regularly by the central administration
External inspections are regularly carried out by independent bodies
The complaint and appeal mechanisms are effective
In the event of an offense committed against a person in prison, the response of the institution is effective
People in prison, their legal assistance or their loved ones can file a complaint
The Inspectorate General of Justice and the Prison Administration Directorate are responsible for conducting internal inspections. However, experts pointed out that these mechanisms lack transparency and are insufficient to properly assess prison conditions.
France ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture in 2008, leading to the creation of a National Prevention Mechanism: the Controller-General of Places of Deprivation of Liberty (CGLPL). This mechanism is authorised to conduct both announced and unannounced inspections. It operates with a multidisciplinary team and publishes reports on its website following each visit. Experts noted that inspections are not conducted frequently enough due to limited resources. In overseas territories, only one visit per year is scheduled, meaning that some facilities may wait up to nine years between inspections.
There is no standardised internal complaint system. In certain prisons, incarcerated people can submit written requests via designated boxes1, while in others, the internal mail system is used but lacks confidentiality. Correspondence sent to the CGLPL is protected and cannot be read by the prison administration (Article D345-10, Penal Code).
International Prison Observatory – French section, Prisoner’s Guide, pp. 194-195. ↩
Being active
Work
Every person in prison can access a job
People in prison who work receive equitable remuneration and are free to use at least part of their earnings
People in prison work in good conditions
People in prison have access to a diverse range of qualifying jobs that are not more dangerous or arduous than work outside the prison
Incarcerated adults are eligible to apply for work, but the number of available positions is insufficient.
Work opportunities include roles in general prison services (such as cleaning and maintenance tasks) or in workshops run by the prison employment service or private companies. However, as of 2024, only 29 of the 185 prison facilities offer workshop opportunities. The Controller-General of Places of Deprivation of Liberty (CGLPL) reported that at the Draguignan prison where women and men were held, women were excluded from workshop employment.
The *remuneration is insufficient to cover the cost of living. It is calculated as a percentage of the national minimum wage (SMIC): 45% of the SMIC for production activities and between 20% and 33% for general services. In some workshops, wages are tied to hourly productivity, despite the 2009 Prison Law prohibiting this practice. This system may lead to earnings below established rates.
Training and education
People in prison have access to vocational training
People in prison have access to education
Access to vocational training and education differs significantly between prisons. Facilities in rural areas tend to offer fewer training opportunities. Administrative barriers often restrict foreign nationals from participating in vocational training programs.
Qualified professionals deliver vocational training and education. According to a 2021 study by Secours Catholique and Emmaüs, only 6% of the prison population surveyed were enrolled in vocational training, while 28% pursued academic education.
Three-quarters of incarcerated children are held in units for minors where educational provisions are insufficient.
Cultural, sporting and spiritual activities
People in prison spend at least one hour per day in the open air
People in prison have access to recreational and cultural activities
People in prison have access to a library
People in prison can participate in recreational and cultural activities
People in prison have access to physical and sporting activities
People in prison can practice their spirituality
The prison administration must provide incarcerated people at least one hour a day in the open air. During its 2019 visit to Osny Prison, the CGLPL reported that people in prison were sometimes forced to choose between taking a shower or going outside.
Outdoor time takes place in exercise yards, the size and layout of which vary between facilities. In some prisons, the yards are too small to accommodate the number of individuals using them. Those in solitary confinement or disciplinary units often only have access to small, fenced, concrete yards1 where they are typically alone.
Cultural and sports activities, while available in all facilities, remain limited and accessible to only a small number of people in prison2. At Bois d’Arcy prison, only one in four individuals participated in a cultural activity in 2023.
Every incarcerated person is entitled to practise the religion of their choice.3 Chaplains provide services for the seven officially recognised faiths: Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Protestantism, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Jehovah’s Witnesses.4 Significant disparities exist in the allocation of resources, pay, and the number of chaplains available for each faith. These disparities pose challenges to practice certain religions, particularly Islam.
Being connected
Connection to loved ones
People in prison can correspond in writing with their loved ones
People in prison can talk with their loved ones on the phone
People in prison can receive visitors
People in prison may be granted temporary leave to visit their loved ones
Measures are in place to guarantee the best interests of children of an incarcerated parent
The legal framework guarantees people in prison the right to written correspondence, phone calls, visits, and temporary leave (Articles L345-1, L345-5, L341-1, L4245, Penal Code). Upon arrival, people in prison are typically provided with a “correspondence kit” containing paper, envelopes, and a pen, although it is only re-supplied to indigent people. Correspondence can be sent as often as desired, but mail may be read by the administration. Such monitoring requires justification, and any withheld letters must be reported (Article L345-3, Penal Code). Experts reported that in some prisons mail was systematically inspected. Phones are installed in most cells, except in isolation or disciplinary wings. The management and pricing of phone calls are handled by Telio, a private company contracted by the prison administration. Calls can cost up to €1.25 per minute, creating a major barrier, especially for international calls or calls to French overseas territories. In 2022, the Controller-General of Places of Deprivation of Liberty found that local calls made by incarcerated people in Faa’a-Nutania prison (Polynesia) were two to three times more expensive than calls to mainland France.
People serving a sentence are allowed one visit per week, while those awaiting trial can receive up to three. Overcrowding has resulted in many incarcerated people being held far from their homes, making visits difficult. This issue particularly impacts women, as there are few prisons or dedicated units where they can be held. Facilities often fail to provide adequate support for visitors traveling long distances.
Temporary leaves are rarely granted. Sources indicate that even when approved by a judge for urgent family reasons, such leave is often not arranged due to a lack of escort staff.
Connection to society
People in prison have access to information and various media
People in prison who have retained their right to vote may vote
The Penal Code guarantees access to information, such as newspapers and television, but these services are not free. Television can be rented for eight euros per month for those who wish to have one in their cell.1 Access to non-French language channels remains limited.
People in prison who retain their voting right can vote by proxy, request temporary leave to vote in person, or, since 2019, vote by correspondence.
OIP, Prisoner’s Guide, 2019, pp. 172-173. ↩