What Lies Ahead the Former President in La Santé Prison and What Belongings Did He Bring?
Possibly France’s most notorious correctional facility, La Santé – where ex-president of France Nicolas Sarkozy has started a five year prison sentence for illegal conspiracy to solicit political donations from the Libyan government – is the only remaining prison within the Paris city limits.
Found in the southern Montparnasse area of the capital, it first opened in the year 1867 and was the site of at least 40 death penalties, the final one in 1972. Partly closed for refurbishment in 2014, the facility reopened five years later and houses more than 1,100 detainees.
Well-known former prisoners include the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the rogue trader Jérôme Kerviel, the public servant and Nazi collaborator Maurice Papon, the entrepreneur and politician Bernard Tapie, the terrorist from the 1970s Carlos the Jackal, and modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel.
Special Treatment for Notable Inmates
High-profile or endangered inmates are generally placed in the jail’s QB4 section for “protected persons” – the often called “premium block” – in solitary cells, rather than the typical triple-occupancy rooms, and kept alone during yard time for safety concerns.
Situated on the ground floor, the ward has a set of uniform cells and a dedicated recreation area so inmates are not required to mix with fellow inmates – although they remain vulnerable to whistles, jeers and cellphone pictures from neighboring units.
Mainly for this reason, Sarkozy is set to be housed in the segregated section, which is in a distinct block. Practically, the environment are much the same as in QB4: the past leader will be solitary in his unit and accompanied by a corrections officer each time he exits.
“The objective is to prevent any incidents at all, so we need to block him from meeting any inmates,” an insider stated. “The easiest and most effective method is to send Nicolas Sarkozy directly to solitary confinement.”
Cell Conditions
Each of the solitary and VIP rooms are similar to those in other parts in the prison, averaging about eleven square meters, with coverings on windows intended to limit contact, a sleeping cot, a compact desk, a shower unit, toilet, and stationary phone with pre-set numbers.
Sarkozy will receive standard meals but will additionally have the option to the commissary, where he can purchase groceries to prepare himself, as well as to a private exercise yard, a gym and the library. He can pay for a fridge for €7.50 a per month and a television set for 14.15 euros.
Limited Social Contact
Besides three authorized meetings a week, he will primarily be on his own – an advantage in La Santé, which in spite of its modernization is running at about twice its intended capacity of 657 detainees. The country's correctional facilities are the third most overcrowded in the European Union.
Personal Belongings
Sarkozy, who has repeatedly maintained his innocence, has declared he will be bringing with him a life story of Jesus and a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo, by the author Alexandre Dumas, in which an falsely convicted person is condemned to prison but escapes to seek vengeance.
Sarkozy’s attorney, Jean-Michel Darrois, mentioned he was additionally bringing hearing protection because the jail can be loud at night, and several sweaters, because rooms can be cold. Sarkozy has said he is fearless of spending time in prison and plans to use it to write a book.
Uncertain Duration
It remains uncertain, however, the length of time he will in fact remain in La Santé: his attorneys have submitted for his premature release, and an appeals judge will need to demonstrate a chance of flight, reoffending or witness-tampering to justify his continued detention.
France's legal experts have suggested he could be out in less than a month.
