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Possibly France’s most legendary prison, La Santé – where ex-president of France Nicolas Sarkozy has begun a five-year incarceration for illegal conspiracy to obtain political donations from Libya – is the last remaining prison inside the French capital's boundaries.

Found in the southern Montparnasse neighborhood of the city, it opened in 1867 and was the site of a minimum of 40 capital punishments, the most recent in 1972. Partially closed for refurbishment in 2014, the facility reopened five years later and holds more than 1,100 prisoners.

Well-known ex- detainees include poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the unauthorized trader Jérôme Kerviel, the government official and wartime collaborator Maurice Papon, the businessman and politician Bernard Tapie, the terrorist from the 1970s Carlos the Jackal, and model agent Jean-Luc Brunel.

Protected Wing for Prominent Prisoners

Prominent or endangered detainees are usually placed in the jail’s QB4 unit for “individuals at risk” – the dubbed “VIP quarters” – in single cells, rather than the typical triple-occupancy cells, and separated during exercise periods for safety concerns.

Located on the first floor, the unit has nineteen similar units and a private recreation area so detainees are not obliged to interact with fellow inmates – while they remain subject to shouts, taunts and smartphone photos from nearby cells.

Mainly for such concerns, Sarkozy is set to be housed in the isolation ward, which is in a separate wing. Actually, the environment are largely identical as in the QB4 ward: the past leader will be solitary in his room and supervised by a prison officer each time he goes out.

“The aim is to prevent any incidents at all, so we have to prevent him from coming into contact with other prisoners,” a source within the facility commented. “The easiest and most efficient method is to send Nicolas Sarkozy directly to solitary confinement.”

Accommodation Details

Both isolation and VIP cells are similar to those in other parts in the jail, averaging approximately 10 sq metres, with window blinds created to reduce interaction, a bed, a small desk, a shower, WC, and landline telephone with pre-set numbers.

Sarkozy will be served standard meals but will additionally have the ability to the canteen, where he can purchase groceries to prepare himself, as well as to a small solitary recreation area, a exercise room and the book collection. He can rent a fridge for €7.50 a per month and a television for 14.15 euros.

Restricted Visits

Apart from three permitted visits a week, he will mainly be on his own – a luxury in La Santé, which in spite of its modernization is operating at approximately twice its intended capacity of 657 inmates. France’s prisons are the third most packed in the EU bloc.

Items Brought

Sarkozy, who has steadfastly maintained his non-guilt, has declared he will be taking with him a biography of Jesus Christ and a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas, in which an falsely convicted person is condemned to prison but escapes to take revenge.

Sarkozy’s legal counsel, Jean-Michel Darrois, noted he was additionally taking earplugs because the jail can be loud at nighttime, and a few jumpers, because rooms can be cold. Sarkozy has commented he is not scared of being in prison and aims to utilize the time to compose a manuscript.

Release Prospects

The duration is unknown, nevertheless, the length of time he will really stay in the prison: his legal team have submitted for his conditional release, and an judge on appeal will have to prove a risk of flight, repeat offenses or influencing testimony to validate his ongoing incarceration.

France's law specialists have proposed he might be released before a month passes.