In a prison (illustration) – KONRAD K./SIPA
On May 1, the number of people incarcerated in French prisons stood at 65,384 inmates, a figure on the rise, according to statistical data from the Ministry of Justice, on Wednesday.
On May 1, 2021, there were 65,384 prisoners for 60,799 operational places, against 65,126 on April 1, an increase of 258 prisoners in one month. Between December 1 and May 1, nearly 2,500 additional people were imprisoned.
Prison density on the rise
Prison density in the 188 penal establishments stood at 108%, against 107% on April 1 and 106% on March 1. It is 125.2% in remand centers, where prisoners awaiting trial and those sentenced to short sentences are held, against 120.2% six months ago. This density reached 192.6% in Tarbes or 189.7% in La Roche-sur-Yon. As of May 1, 850 detainees were forced to sleep on a mattress placed on the floor.
As in previous months, nearly 30% of those imprisoned (18,568) are defendants detained pending trial. The number of juvenile detainees is down slightly, with 776 on May 1 against 805 a month ago. They represent 1.2% of the total prison population. The proportion of female prisoners (3.3%) also remains stable.
A temporary drop during confinement
A total of 80,417 people were placed in jail on May 1, including 15,033 who were not detained and were placed under electronic surveillance or placed outside.
The prison population had experienced a significant and unprecedented decline during the spring 2020 confinement, due to a reduction in delinquency and early release measures taken by the government to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic in detention . The number of detainees had thus fallen from 72,575 on March 16, 2020 – a record – to 59,463 two months later. The prison population has exceeded 62,000 prisoners since October.