What Awaits the Former President in La Santé Prison and What Belongings Did He Bring?
Maybe France’s most notorious correctional facility, La Santé – where former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is now serving a five-year prison sentence for illegal conspiracy to solicit campaign funds from Libya – is the only remaining prison within the city of Paris.
Situated in the southern Montparnasse area of the capital, it first opened in 1867 and hosted of a minimum of 40 capital punishments, the final one in 1972. Partially shut down for upgrades in 2014, the institution resumed operations five years later and houses in excess of 1,100 detainees.
Renowned past inmates include poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the unauthorized trader Jérôme Kerviel, the public servant and wartime collaborator Maurice Papon, the businessman and politician Bernard Tapie, the 70s terrorist Carlos the Jackal, and model agent Jean-Luc Brunel.
Protected Wing for Notable Inmates
High-profile or vulnerable prisoners are usually placed in the prison's QB4 ward for “individuals at risk” – the often called “VIP section” – in single cells, not the standard triple-occupancy units, and kept alone during outdoor activities for protection purposes.
Located on the ground floor, the unit has a set of uniform cells and a private recreation area so inmates are not obliged to mix with fellow inmates – while they remain vulnerable to shouts, taunts and smartphone photos from adjacent cells.
Primarily for this reason, Sarkozy is expected to be placed in the isolation ward, which is in a distinct block. Practically, the environment are largely identical as in the QB4 ward: the ex-president will be by himself in his room and escorted by a guard whenever he goes out.
“The objective is to prevent any incidents whatsoever, so we must block him from encountering fellow detainees,” a prison source commented. “The simplest and most efficient approach is to place Nicolas Sarkozy immediately to isolation.”
Cell Conditions
Both isolation and protected rooms are similar to those elsewhere in the jail, measuring approximately 10 square meters, with window coverings designed to reduce interaction, a bed, a small desk, a shower, lavatory, and stationary phone with authorized contacts only.
Sarkozy will receive standard meals but will also have the option to the prison store, where he can buy items to make his own meals, as well as to a private outdoor space, a fitness room and the library. He can rent a fridge for €7.50 a month and a TV for fourteen euros fifteen.
Restricted Visits
Apart from three permitted visits a each week, he will mainly be alone – an advantage in La Santé, which in spite of its recent upgrades is functioning at approximately double its planned occupancy of 657 prisoners. France’s jails are the third most packed in the EU.
Personal Belongings
Sarkozy, who has repeatedly maintained his non-guilt, 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 wrongly accused individual is sentenced to prison but flees to take revenge.
Sarkozy’s legal counsel, Jean-Michel Darrois, said he was also packing hearing protection because the facility can be loud at during the night, and a few jumpers, because units can be chilly. Sarkozy has stated he is fearless of spending time in prison and plans to make use of the period to compose a manuscript.
Uncertain Duration
The duration is unknown, nevertheless, how long he will actually stay in La Santé: his legal team have submitted for his premature release, and an appeals judge will must establish a potential of escaping, further crimes or influencing testimony to justify his ongoing incarceration.
French legal experts have indicated he may be freed before a month passes.
