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Perhaps France’s most legendary correctional facility, the La Santé prison – in which former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is now serving a five year jail term for illegal conspiracy to obtain political donations from the Libyan government – is the sole surviving prison within the French capital's boundaries.

Found in the southern Montparnasse area of the city, it was inaugurated in 1867 and was the scene of at least 40 death penalties, the most recent in 1972. Partially shut down for renovation in 2014, the prison resumed operations in 2019 and houses more than 1,100 prisoners.

Renowned ex- prisoners comprise poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the unauthorized trader Jérôme Kerviel, the government official and collaborator with the Nazis Maurice Papon, the entrepreneur and politician Bernard Tapie, the terrorist from the 1970s Carlos the Jackal, and model agent Jean-Luc Brunel.

Special Treatment for High-Profile Inmates

Prominent or vulnerable inmates are usually accommodated in the jail’s QB4 ward for “individuals at risk” – the often called “VIP section” – in single cells, rather than the standard triple-occupancy cells, and kept alone during outdoor activities for protection purposes.

Situated on the ground floor, the unit has a set of uniform cells and a private exercise yard so inmates are not required to mingle with other detainees – while they continue to be vulnerable to calls, jeers and smartphone photos from nearby cells.

Mostly for this reason, Sarkozy is expected to be placed in the segregated section, which is in a distinct block. Practically, circumstances are very similar as in QB4: the ex-president will be alone in his room and supervised by a corrections officer each time he leaves it.

“The aim is to prevent any issues whatsoever, so we need to prevent him from coming into contact with any inmates,” a prison source revealed. “The simplest and most effective solution is to send Nicolas Sarkozy straight to solitary confinement.”

Cell Conditions

Each of the solitary and VIP rooms are identical to those in other parts in the prison, measuring about 10 sq metres, with window blinds created to restrict communication, a sleeping cot, a small desk, a shower, lavatory, and landline telephone with authorized contacts only.

Sarkozy will receive regular meals but will additionally have the ability to the canteen, where he can acquire groceries to cook for himself, as well as to a private exercise yard, a fitness room and the book collection. He can lease a cooling unit for 7.50 euros a monthly and a television set for fourteen euros fifteen.

Controlled Interactions

Besides three allowed visits a week, he will mostly be on his own – a privilege in La Santé, which notwithstanding its modernization is running at roughly double its planned occupancy of 657 prisoners. France’s prisons are the third most overcrowded in the EU.

Personal Belongings

Sarkozy, who has consistently protested his non-guilt, has stated he will be bringing with him a account of Jesus and a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo, by the author Alexandre Dumas, in which an innocent man is sentenced to jail but flees to seek vengeance.

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Jean-Michel Darrois, said he was additionally packing noise blockers because the facility can be noisy at during the night, and several sweaters, because rooms can be cool. Sarkozy has stated he is fearless of serving time in prison and intends to make use of the period to author a manuscript.

Release Prospects

The duration is unknown, however, how long he will really stay in the prison: his attorneys have submitted for his premature release, and an judge on appeal will need to demonstrate a potential of escaping, further crimes or influencing testimony to warrant his ongoing incarceration.

French jurists have proposed he might be released in less than a month.