French prisons reach a new record with 88,654 inmates

Paris – 30.05.2026: French prisons recorded a total of 88,654 inmates on May 1, 2026, a new record. Compared to the previous year, this represents an increase of more than 5,000 persons, amounting to a rise of 6.3 percent. However, the number of available detention places only increased by less than 1,000 (1.6 percent), further increasing overcrowding.

The situation is particularly critical in pre-trial detention centers, where people are housed who are either serving short prison sentences or awaiting their verdict and are therefore considered innocent. There, the occupancy rate at 171.1 percent is well above the average of the entire system, which is overcrowded at 139.1 percent.

France is thus among the European countries with the highest prison density. Compared to other European countries, only Slovenia and Cyprus have reported even higher overcrowding, although the total number of inmates there is significantly lower.

Already in January 2026, the Council of Europe warned in a report of the danger that French prisons are increasingly developing into “human camps.” The body particularly criticized the overcrowded detention centers, poor hygienic conditions, and the growing aggression among inmates.

The overcrowding is also noticeable in the daily life of the prisons: on April 1, 2026, a total of 7,540 extra mattresses had to be placed on the cell floors nationwide – an increase of almost 60 percent compared to the previous year. In 30 of the 190 prisons examined, two inmates occupy the space actually intended for one, corresponding to an occupancy rate of 200 percent or more.

The situation is increasingly leading to tensions and protests among the staff. On April 27, 2026, nationwide blockades were held by prison officers who wanted to draw attention to chronic overcrowding and staff shortages with this action. The union UFAP-UNSA demanded the filling of about 5,000 vacant positions to improve the situation.

The Ministry of Justice plans to create a total of 3,000 additional detention places in modular prisons by 2027 to alleviate the situation. However, less than one third of the 15,000 detention places planned since 2018 have been realized so far.

The ongoing overcrowding in prisons remains a central problem of the French justice system. This not only burdens the detention conditions of the inmates but also threatens the working conditions of prison staff and increases the risk of violence and unrest within detention centers. A sustainable relaxation of the situation requires further investments and reforms.