From our special correspondent in Poitiers (Vienne),
Dressed in a gray T-shirt and work overalls, about fifteen prisoners make small parts for the bay windows. Some use noisy machines and drill holes. Others check the quality of the finished products and pass them on to other prisoners who pack the orders in boxes. “It allows me to pass the time and also to put money aside for the outing and to pay the civil parties. I’m learning things”, explains Joris, 30 years old. In this huge hangar located in the heart of the Poitiers-Vivonne prison center (Vienne), divided into several workshops, around 90 prisoners work daily for six hours, from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., on behalf of 17 different companies.
“Inmates who want to work must apply in writing. They then pass in front of a commission for an interview. Some positions require prerequisites that they do not all have, ”explains Karyne Prince, the director of the prison. If the decision is favourable, it results in the signing of the prison employment contract. Thanks to the law of May 1, 2022, work in detention is paid 45% of the minimum wage. “Before we were paid by the piece, that is to say, we had to produce a lot to get a salary,” says Willy, 43. “From now on, we are followed, we are declared to Urssaf and we are paid by the hour. »
“The work gives me a lot of things”
The prisoner, who manufactures bars for electrical cabinets, receives 5.18 euros per hour. “Work gives me a lot of things, even psychologically,” he continues. It keeps me from freaking out. Outside, I worked all the time, I was a mechanic. Overnight, I was locked up and deprived of my freedom. It’s the worst thing. The fact of being able to leave my cell, to work, to see people, to talk, to occupy myself, to do something concrete, means that penance is no longer the same. And it allows me to prepare for my outing. The companies we work with are waiting for me to be released. »
Today, about a third of prisoners work. The Keeper of the Seals aims to exceed 50% by 2027. He embarked on a tour of France of penitentiary establishments to convince local economic actors to entrust work to prisoners. “I want to bring in the bosses, the associations, all those who are likely to bring work here. Because I think it is one of the levers for prisoners to have the possibility of giving meaning to the sentence they are in the process of carrying out, ”assures Éric Dupond-Moretti this Friday. Work, he says, also makes it possible to fight against recidivism.
“There are magical things that happen in detention”
In front of around fifty business leaders and association leaders, the Minister outlined his arguments: “It is a certain number of contributions paid for by the State, these are administrative formalities carried out by the administration. It is also, for the bosses, a very strong civic commitment. It makes it possible to better compensate the victims, to train the detainees, ”he underlines. “It avoids relocations, we are on made in France here. On the other hand, there are professions that are in tension, for which we cannot recruit workers. The prison population can also help to resolve these difficulties. »
Coralie Morel took the plunge in 2022. Originally from the Ile de Ré (Charente-Maritime), she created the association iCycle, “a structure of insertion by economic activity”. The goal ? Offer seasonal workers who work on the island bikes restored by the prisoners of the central house of Saint-Martin-de-Ré. In a 200 m2 workshop, five inmates at the end of their sentence, who have been trained, dismantle and repair bicycles. Today, she does not regret this adventure in the slightest. “There are magical things that happen in detention. »