What to Expect Sarkozy in the La Santé Facility and What Belongings Has He Taken?
Perhaps France’s most notorious correctional facility, La Santé – in which ex-president of France Nicolas Sarkozy has begun a five year incarceration for criminal conspiracy to solicit campaign funds from the Libyan government – remains the last remaining prison inside the French capital's boundaries.
Located in the southern Montparnasse area of the city, it was inaugurated in the year 1867 and was the site of at least 40 capital punishments, the final one in 1972. Partially shut down for refurbishment in 2014, the institution reopened in 2019 and accommodates over 1,100 inmates.
Well-known past prisoners include poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the unauthorized trader Jérôme Kerviel, the government official and wartime collaborator Maurice Papon, the entrepreneur and political figure Bernard Tapie, the militant from the seventies Carlos the Jackal, and model agent Jean-Luc Brunel.
Protected Wing for High-Profile Prisoners
High-profile or at-risk detainees are typically held in the prison's QB4 section for “individuals at risk” – the so-called “VIP quarters” – in individual cells, rather than the typical three-person units, and kept alone during yard time for protection purposes.
Positioned on the initial level, the unit has a set of uniform units and a private outdoor space so prisoners are not forced to mix with other prisoners – even though they are still vulnerable to calls, jeers and smartphone photos from nearby cells.
Mostly for this reason, Sarkozy will reportedly be held in the isolation ward, which is in a distinct block. Actually, conditions are very similar as in QB4: the ex-president will be by himself in his cell and escorted by a prison officer every time he leaves it.
“The goal is to prevent any problems whatsoever, so we need to stop him from meeting other prisoners,” a prison source stated. “The easiest and most efficient solution is to assign Nicolas Sarkozy straight to segregation.”
Cell Conditions
Both solitary and VIP units are similar to those elsewhere in the jail, averaging about eleven square meters, with window blinds intended to restrict interaction, a bed, a compact desk, a shower, WC, and landline telephone with pre-recorded numbers.
Sarkozy will receive typical prison food but will additionally have the ability to the canteen, where he can purchase items to prepare himself, as well as to a private recreation area, a gym and the library. He can rent a refrigerator for 7.50 euros a month and a television set for 14.15 euros.
Controlled Interactions
Besides three allowed visits a per week, he will mostly be by himself – an advantage in the prison, which notwithstanding its modernization is operating at about twice its intended capacity of 657 inmates. The country's correctional facilities are the third most packed in the EU bloc.
Items Brought
Sarkozy, who has steadfastly asserted his innocence, has said he will be taking with him a life story of Jesus and a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo, by the author Alexandre Dumas, in which an falsely convicted person is sentenced to jail but breaks out to take revenge.
Sarkozy’s lawyer, Jean-Michel Darrois, noted he was also packing earplugs because the facility can be noisy at nighttime, and a few jumpers, because units can be cold. Sarkozy has said he is fearless of being in prison and intends to use it to write a publication.
Release Prospects
It remains uncertain, nevertheless, the length of time he will in fact stay in La Santé: his lawyers have already filed for his premature release, and an appeals judge will have to prove a potential of escaping, reoffending or witness-tampering to validate his ongoing incarceration.
French legal experts have proposed he could be out in less than a month.
