What Awaits the Former President in the La Santé Facility and What Belongings Has He Taken?
Possibly the nation's most notorious prison, La Santé – where former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has begun a five year incarceration for illegal conspiracy to raise campaign funds from Libya – remains the sole surviving prison within the city of Paris.
Situated in the southern Montparnasse area of the capital, it first opened in the year 1867 and was the scene of at least 40 capital punishments, the final one in 1972. Partly closed for upgrades in 2014, the prison resumed operations five years later and accommodates over 1,100 prisoners.
Renowned former detainees encompass poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the rogue trader Jérôme Kerviel, the civil servant and collaborator with the Nazis Maurice Papon, the businessman and political figure Bernard Tapie, the terrorist from the 1970s Carlos the Jackal, and model agent Jean-Luc Brunel.
VIP Quarters for Prominent Inmates
High-profile or vulnerable detainees are typically placed in the jail’s QB4 unit for “protected persons” – the often called “VIP section” – in single cells, not the typical three-inmate units, and separated during exercise periods for safety concerns.
Positioned on the first floor, the unit has nineteen similar rooms and a private outdoor space so detainees are not required to mix with other prisoners – while they continue to be subject to shouts, jeers and cellphone pictures from adjacent cells.
Primarily for this reason, Sarkozy will reportedly be held in the solitary confinement unit, which is in a distinct block. Practically, circumstances are much the same as in QB4: the past leader will be solitary in his cell and supervised by a prison officer each time he exits.
“The objective is to prevent any incidents whatsoever, so we must prevent him from coming into contact with fellow detainees,” a prison source commented. “The simplest and most efficient solution is to assign Nicolas Sarkozy straight to solitary confinement.”
Living Quarters
Each of the isolation and VIP cells are similar to those in other parts in the jail, measuring about 10 sq metres, with coverings on windows created to limit communication, a bed, a small desk, a shower, WC, and stationary phone with pre-set numbers.
Sarkozy is provided with standard meals but will additionally have the option to the canteen, where he can acquire groceries to make his own meals, as well as to a small solitary recreation area, a gym and the book collection. He can lease a fridge for 7.50 euros a month and a television set for €14.15.
Limited Social Contact
Besides three allowed visits a week, he will mostly be alone – a luxury in La Santé, which despite its recent upgrades is running at about double its planned occupancy of 657 detainees. France’s prisons are the third most overcrowded in the EU bloc.
Items Brought
Sarkozy, who has steadfastly asserted his non-guilt, has declared he will be taking with him a biography of Jesus Christ and a edition of The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas, in which an innocent man is sentenced to jail but escapes to get retribution.
Sarkozy’s lawyer, Jean-Michel Darrois, mentioned he was additionally taking earplugs because the facility can be loud at nighttime, and a few jumpers, because rooms can be cool. Sarkozy has stated he is not scared of serving time in jail and intends to utilize the time to compose a book.
Possible Early Release
It is unclear, however, for how long he will really be housed in the prison: his lawyers have submitted for his premature release, and an reviewing judge will need to demonstrate a risk of absconding, repeat offenses or witness-tampering to warrant his continued detention.
French law specialists have suggested he might be released within a month.
