What Lies Ahead the Former President in La Santé Prison and What Belongings Has He Taken?
Possibly France’s most legendary jail, La Santé – in which former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is now serving a five year jail term for illegal conspiracy to solicit campaign funds from the Libyan government – remains the last remaining prison inside the French capital's boundaries.
Situated in the south part of Montparnasse district of the city, it first opened in 1867 and hosted of a minimum of 40 death penalties, the final one in 1972. Partly closed for upgrades in 2014, the institution reopened in 2019 and holds more than 1,100 prisoners.
Renowned former prisoners include poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the financial trader Jérôme Kerviel, the government official and Nazi collaborator Maurice Papon, the entrepreneur and politician Bernard Tapie, the militant from the seventies Carlos the Jackal, and modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel.
VIP Quarters for High-Profile Prisoners
Notable or at-risk inmates are typically held in the jail’s QB4 section for “protected persons” – the dubbed “VIP quarters” – in solitary cells, not the standard triple-occupancy units, and separated during outdoor activities for safety concerns.
Located on the ground floor, the ward has 19 identical rooms and a reserved outdoor space so detainees are not forced to interact with other detainees – while they continue to be subject to shouts, taunts and cellphone pictures from adjacent cells.
Mainly for that reason, Sarkozy is expected to be placed in the segregated section, which is in a distinct block. In reality, conditions are largely identical as in QB4: the past leader will be by himself in his cell and supervised by a corrections officer every time he exits.
“The aim is to avert any incidents at all, so we must stop him from coming into contact with fellow detainees,” a source within the facility revealed. “The most straightforward and most efficient method is to place Nicolas Sarkozy directly to segregation.”
Accommodation Details
Each of the solitary and protected rooms are similar to those in other parts in the jail, measuring around 10 sq metres, with window blinds designed to restrict interaction, a sleeping cot, a small desk, a shower unit, toilet, and fixed-line phone with authorized contacts only.
Sarkozy is provided with regular meals but will also have access to the canteen, where he can purchase items to prepare himself, as well as to a small solitary recreation area, a gym and the prison library. He can rent a refrigerator for 7.50 euros a per month and a television for 14.15 euros.
Controlled Interactions
In addition to three authorized meetings a each week, he will mainly be alone – an advantage in La Santé, which notwithstanding its recent renovation is running at about double its designed capacity of 657 detainees. France’s jails are the third most packed in the European Union.
Prison Supplies
Sarkozy, who has repeatedly maintained his non-guilt, has declared he will be bringing with him a life story of Jesus Christ and a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas, in which an innocent man is given a sentence to jail but escapes to take revenge.
Sarkozy’s attorney, Jean-Michel Darrois, mentioned he was additionally taking noise blockers because the facility can be loud at nighttime, and several sweaters, because cells can be cold. Sarkozy has commented he is unafraid of serving time in jail and aims to make use of the period to author a book.
Possible Early Release
It remains uncertain, though, for how long he will in fact stay in the facility: his legal team have lodged for his premature release, and an appeals judge will must establish a chance of flight, repeat offenses or witness-tampering to warrant his continued detention.
France's jurists have suggested he might be released in less than a month.
