What to Expect Sarkozy in the La Santé Facility and What Personal Items Did He Bring?
Possibly the nation's most notorious prison, the La Santé prison – where ex-president of France Nicolas Sarkozy is now serving a five-year jail term for unlawful collusion to raise election financing from Libya – stands as the sole surviving prison inside the French capital's boundaries.
Situated in the southern Montparnasse neighborhood of the capital, it first opened in 1867 and hosted of a minimum of 40 death penalties, the most recent in 1972. Partly shut down for upgrades in 2014, the institution resumed operations in 2019 and holds over 1,100 prisoners.
Famous ex- prisoners comprise the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the unauthorized trader Jérôme Kerviel, the civil servant and Nazi collaborator Maurice Papon, the businessman and politician Bernard Tapie, the 70s terrorist Carlos the Jackal, and model agent Jean-Luc Brunel.
Special Treatment for High-Profile Inmates
Notable or vulnerable inmates are typically placed in the jail’s QB4 ward for “individuals at risk” – the dubbed “premium block” – in single cells, rather than the typical three-person cells, and kept alone during yard time for protection purposes.
Positioned on the ground floor, the section has a set of uniform cells and a reserved recreation area so prisoners are not required to interact with fellow inmates – although they are still vulnerable to shouts, insults and mobile snapshots from adjacent cells.
Primarily for such concerns, Sarkozy is expected to be placed in the isolation ward, which is in a separate wing. Practically, circumstances are largely identical as in the protected unit: the ex-president will be solitary in his cell and supervised by a prison officer each time he goes out.
“The objective is to avert any incidents whatsoever, so we need to prevent him from meeting other prisoners,” a prison source commented. “The easiest and most efficient approach is to assign Nicolas Sarkozy directly to isolation.”
Cell Conditions
Each of the isolation and VIP rooms are the same to those elsewhere in the prison, roughly approximately eleven square meters, with window blinds created to restrict contact, a bed, a writing table, a shower, WC, and landline telephone with pre-set numbers.
Sarkozy will be served typical prison food but will also have access to the prison store, where he can buy groceries to prepare himself, as well as to a individual recreation area, a exercise room and the prison library. He can lease a fridge for 7.50 euros a monthly and a television set for 14.15 euros.
Controlled Interactions
Besides three allowed visits a each week, he will mainly be on his own – a privilege in the prison, which notwithstanding its modernization is operating at about double its planned occupancy of 657 detainees. France’s prisons are the third most packed in the European Union.
Items Brought
Sarkozy, who has repeatedly asserted his non-guilt, has stated he will be taking with him a biography of Jesus 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 attorney, Jean-Michel Darrois, mentioned he was additionally bringing noise blockers because the jail can be loud at night, and several sweaters, because rooms can be cold. Sarkozy has said he is not scared of being in prison and intends to make use of the period to compose a publication.
Uncertain Duration
The duration is unknown, however, the length of time he will in fact remain in La Santé: his attorneys have lodged for his early release, and an judge on appeal will must establish a chance of escaping, repeat offenses or witness-tampering to validate his continued detention.
France's law specialists have indicated he could be out before a month passes.
