French prisons reach new high with 88,654 inmates

Paris – May 30, 2026: As of May 1, 2026, the total number of inmates in French prisons reached 88,654, setting a new record. Compared to last year, the number of inmates increased by more than 5,000, a rise of 6.3%. However, the available detention space increased by less than 1,000 (1.6%), leading to continued prison overcrowding.

The situation is particularly severe in pre-trial detention centers where short-term detainees waiting for trial verdicts, considered innocent, are held. These detention centers have an occupancy rate of 171.1%, far exceeding the overall system’s average overcrowding level of 139.1%.

As a result, France has become one of the European countries with the highest prison overcrowding. Compared to other European countries, only Slovenia and Cyprus have higher overcrowding levels in prisons, but these two countries have significantly fewer inmates overall.

In January 2026, the European Committee warned in a report that French prisons are gradually turning into “crowded camps.” The committee specifically criticized the severe overcrowding, poor sanitary conditions, and the increasing violence tendency among inmates.

Overcrowding also directly affects the daily operation of prisons: as of April 1, 2026, a total of 7,540 mattresses were additionally placed on cell floors nationwide in France, an increase of nearly 60% compared to the previous year. Among the 190 prisons surveyed, 30 have inmates detained two per cell designed for one person, with occupancy rates reaching 200% or higher.

This situation is increasingly triggering tension and protests among prison staff. On April 27, 2026, national prison guards initiated a lockdown to draw public attention to the long-standing problems of overcrowding and staff shortages. The union UFAP-UNSA called for filling approximately 5,000 vacancies to improve the situation.

The Ministry of Justice plans to add 3,000 detention spaces by 2027 through the construction of modular prisons to relieve pressure. However, the expansion project planned since 2018 to add 15,000 detention spaces has so far completed less than one-third.

Persistent prison overcrowding remains a core issue of the French judicial system. It not only affects detainees’ conditions but also threatens the working environment of prison staff and increases the risk of violence and unrest within prisons. Sustainable alleviation of the situation requires further investment and reform.