What Awaits the Former President in La Santé Prison and What Belongings Did He Bring?

Maybe the nation's most notorious prison, the La Santé prison – in which former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has started a five year jail term for unlawful collusion to obtain political donations from the Libyan government – stands as the last remaining prison within the city of Paris.

Located in the southern Montparnasse district of the capital, it was inaugurated in 1867 and hosted of at least 40 executions, the last in 1972. Partly closed for refurbishment in 2014, the institution reopened five years later and holds over 1,100 detainees.

Renowned past prisoners include poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the rogue trader Jérôme Kerviel, the government official and wartime collaborator Maurice Papon, the entrepreneur and political figure Bernard Tapie, the terrorist from the 1970s Carlos the Jackal, and model agent Jean-Luc Brunel.

VIP Quarters for Notable Prisoners

Prominent or vulnerable prisoners are generally placed in the prison's QB4 unit for “individuals at risk” – the so-called “premium block” – in single cells, rather than the usual triple-occupancy cells, and separated during outdoor activities for protection purposes.

Situated on the first floor, the unit has nineteen similar cells and a reserved exercise yard so inmates are not required to mingle with other detainees – while they continue to be vulnerable to shouts, insults and smartphone photos from neighboring units.

Mainly for this reason, Sarkozy is set to be housed in the segregated section, which is in a separate wing. Practically, conditions are much the same as in QB4: the former president will be solitary in his unit and supervised by a guard each time he exits.

“The goal is to prevent any issues at all, so we must stop him from encountering any inmates,” a source within the facility revealed. “The simplest and best method is to place Nicolas Sarkozy directly to isolation.”

Accommodation Details

Both isolation and protected rooms are similar to those in other parts in the prison, measuring around 10 square meters, with window coverings designed to reduce contact, a bed, a compact desk, a shower, WC, and stationary phone with authorized contacts only.

Sarkozy will be served typical prison food but will additionally have access to the commissary, where he can purchase groceries to prepare himself, as well as to a individual recreation area, a exercise room and the prison library. He can pay for a fridge for €7.50 a month and a television for 14.15 euros.

Restricted Visits

In addition to three allowed visits a each week, he will mostly be by himself – an advantage in the prison, which notwithstanding its recent upgrades is operating at approximately double its planned occupancy of 657 detainees. France’s correctional facilities are the third most overcrowded in the EU.

Prison Supplies

Sarkozy, who has repeatedly asserted his innocence, has stated he will be carrying with him a life story of Jesus and a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas, in which an falsely convicted person is condemned to jail but escapes to get retribution.

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Jean-Michel Darrois, noted he was additionally packing hearing protection because the facility can be loud at night, and a few jumpers, because units can be cold. Sarkozy has stated he is fearless of serving time in jail and aims to use it to write a book.

Possible Early Release

It remains uncertain, nevertheless, the length of time he will in fact be housed in La Santé: his lawyers have already filed for his premature release, and an judge on appeal will have to prove a potential of absconding, reoffending or influencing testimony to justify his ongoing incarceration.

French law specialists have indicated he could be out within a month.