French Prisons Reach New High with 88,654 Inmates

Paris – 30.05.2026: French prisons recorded a new high on May 1, 2026, with a total of 88,654 inmates. Compared to the previous year, this represents an increase of more than 5,000 people, corresponding to a rise of 6.3 percent. However, the number of available detention places increased by less than 1,000 (1.6 percent), further exacerbating overcrowding.The situation is particularly critical in remand prisons, which house individuals serving short sentences or awaiting trial and are therefore presumed innocent. There, the occupancy rate stands at 171.1 percent, well above the system-wide ...