🔗 Share this article

Maybe the nation's most legendary correctional facility, La Santé – in which ex-president of France Nicolas Sarkozy has begun a five year prison sentence for criminal conspiracy to obtain election financing from Libya – is the only remaining prison within the city of Paris.

Located in the southern Montparnasse neighborhood of the city, it first opened in 1867 and was the site of a minimum of 40 capital punishments, the most recent in 1972. Partially shut down for upgrades in 2014, the prison resumed operations five years later and holds in excess of 1,100 inmates.

Famous former prisoners comprise the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the unauthorized trader Jérôme Kerviel, the civil servant and Nazi collaborator Maurice Papon, the tycoon and politician Bernard Tapie, the terrorist from the 1970s Carlos the Jackal, and model agent Jean-Luc Brunel.

Special Treatment for Prominent Inmates

High-profile or endangered detainees are typically held in the prison's QB4 ward for “individuals at risk” – the so-called “VIP section” – in solitary cells, rather than the usual triple-occupancy units, and separated during outdoor activities for safety concerns.

Located on the first floor, the section has 19 identical units and a reserved recreation area so prisoners are not required to mingle with other detainees – even though they continue to be vulnerable to shouts, jeers and smartphone photos from nearby cells.

Mostly for this reason, Sarkozy will reportedly be held in the isolation ward, which is in a distinct block. Practically, circumstances are very similar as in the QB4 ward: the former president will be solitary in his cell and supervised by a guard every time he goes out.

“The goal is to avoid any problems at all, so we must stop him from coming into contact with fellow detainees,” a prison source revealed. “The simplest and most efficient approach is to send Nicolas Sarkozy immediately to segregation.”

Accommodation Details

Each of the solitary and VIP cells are the same to those in other parts in the prison, roughly around 10 square meters, with window blinds created to reduce contact, a sleeping cot, a small desk, a shower, lavatory, and stationary phone with pre-set numbers.

Sarkozy will receive standard meals but will also have the option to the prison store, where he can purchase food to cook for himself, as well as to a individual exercise yard, a fitness room and the book collection. He can rent a refrigerator for €7.50 a monthly and a television for 14.15 euros.

Limited Social Contact

In addition to three authorized meetings a each week, he will mainly be alone – an advantage in the prison, which in spite of its recent renovation is running at about double its planned occupancy of 657 inmates. France’s jails are the third most congested in the EU bloc.

Personal Belongings

Sarkozy, who has consistently maintained his innocence, has said he will be carrying with him a account of Jesus and a edition of The Count of Monte Cristo, by the author Alexandre Dumas, in which an falsely convicted person is condemned to prison but breaks out to seek vengeance.

Sarkozy’s legal counsel, Jean-Michel Darrois, said he was additionally taking hearing protection because prison can be disruptive at during the night, and multiple sweaters, because rooms can be chilly. Sarkozy has stated he is fearless of serving time in jail and intends to make use of the period to author a publication.

Release Prospects

The duration is unknown, however, how long he will actually stay in the prison: his legal team have already filed for his conditional release, and an reviewing judge will need to demonstrate a potential of absconding, repeat offenses or interfering with witnesses to validate his further imprisonment.

France's legal experts have proposed he might be released within a month.