Prisons in France overcrowded: Number of inmates breaks another record

The number of prisoners in French prisons has exceeded the maximum capacity of penitentiary institutions by almost a quarter, once again breaking a record.

According to Report, this was reported by the BFMTV channel.

Report informs via BFMTV that over the year "the increase in the number of prisoners made 4,400 to 76,700 marking another record." At the same time, the maximum capacity of French prisons is 61,600 people.

Due to overcrowding, more than 3,000 prisoners are forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor, up from just over 2,000 in 2023.

While "on average, in French prisons there are almost 125% of prisoners from the maximum capacity," the situation in pre-trial detention centers is even worse, the TV channel notes. There the limit is almost 50%, and in some isolation wards the capacity is twice as high.