What to Expect Sarkozy in La Santé Prison and What Belongings Has He Taken?

Possibly France’s most legendary correctional facility, the La Santé prison – where former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has begun a five year incarceration for criminal conspiracy to raise campaign funds from the Libyan government – is the only remaining prison within the city of Paris.

Found in the southern Montparnasse area of the capital, it first opened in the year 1867 and was the site of a minimum of 40 executions, the last in 1972. Partially shut down for refurbishment in 2014, the institution resumed operations in 2019 and holds over 1,100 prisoners.

Well-known past inmates include the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the financial trader Jérôme Kerviel, the government official and Nazi collaborator Maurice Papon, the businessman and politician Bernard Tapie, the 70s terrorist Carlos the Jackal, and talent scout Jean-Luc Brunel.

VIP Quarters for Notable Inmates

Prominent or endangered prisoners are usually held in the prison's QB4 section for “protected persons” – the so-called “VIP section” – in solitary cells, not the usual three-person rooms, and isolated during outdoor activities for safety concerns.

Situated on the initial level, the section has a set of uniform cells and a dedicated exercise yard so inmates are not forced to mingle with other prisoners – even though they remain vulnerable to shouts, jeers and cellphone pictures from neighboring units.

Mainly for that reason, Sarkozy is set to be housed in the segregated section, which is in a distinct block. Practically, the environment are much the same as in the protected unit: the past leader will be solitary in his unit and accompanied by a prison officer each time he exits.

“The goal is to avert any incidents at all, so we have to prevent him from meeting fellow detainees,” an insider revealed. “The most straightforward and best approach is to send Nicolas Sarkozy straight to isolation.”

Cell Conditions

Each of the isolation and protected rooms are identical to those in other parts in the institution, measuring approximately 10 sq metres, with window blinds designed to restrict communication, a bed, a compact desk, a shower, WC, and fixed-line phone with authorized contacts only.

Sarkozy will receive standard meals but will additionally have the ability to the commissary, where he can acquire groceries to prepare himself, as well as to a small solitary outdoor space, a fitness room and the library. He can pay for a refrigerator for €7.50 a month and a TV for €14.15.

Controlled Interactions

Besides three permitted visits a week, he will mostly be on his own – an advantage in the facility, which in spite of its modernization is operating at roughly twice its intended capacity of 657 prisoners. The country's correctional facilities are the third most congested in the EU bloc.

Personal Belongings

Sarkozy, who has repeatedly maintained his non-guilt, has said he will be taking with him a account of Jesus and a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas, in which an wrongly accused individual is sentenced to jail but flees to seek vengeance.

Sarkozy’s attorney, Jean-Michel Darrois, noted he was additionally taking hearing protection because the facility can be loud at nighttime, and a few jumpers, because cells can be chilly. Sarkozy has stated he is fearless of serving time in jail and aims to make use of the period to write a publication.

Possible Early Release

It is unclear, nevertheless, for how long he will really remain in the facility: his attorneys have lodged for his conditional release, and an appeals judge will need to demonstrate a chance of absconding, reoffending or influencing testimony to validate his ongoing incarceration.

France's law specialists have suggested he might be released in less than a month.