French prisons reach a new record with 88,654 inmates

Paris – 30.05.2026: French prisons recorded a new record as of 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, or a rise of 6.3%. However, the number of available detention places has only increased by less than 1,000 (1.6%), which further worsens overcrowding.

The situation is particularly critical in remand centers, where people serving short sentences or awaiting trial are held and are therefore presumed innocent. The occupancy rate there reaches 171.1%, well above the average for the entire system, which is 139.1%.

France is thus among the European countries with the highest prison densities. In the European comparison, only Slovenia and Cyprus record even greater overcrowding, although their total number of inmates is significantly lower.

As recently as January 2026, the Council of Europe warned in a report about the risk that French prisons are increasingly becoming “concentration camps.” The body particularly denounced overcrowded facilities, poor hygiene conditions, and the rise in violence among inmates.

Overcrowding also manifests itself in the daily life of prisons: as of April 1, 2026, 7,540 mattresses had to be added to the floors of the cells nationwide – an increase of nearly 60% compared to the previous year. In 30 of the 190 prisons examined, two inmates occupy a space normally intended for one, corresponding to an occupancy rate of 200% or more.

This situation is causing more and more tensions and protests among the staff. On April 27, 2026, national blockades were organized by prison guards, who wanted to draw attention to the chronic overcrowding and staffing shortages. The union UFAP-UNSA has called for the recruitment of nearly 5,000 agents to improve the situation.

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

Persistent prison overcrowding remains a central problem of the French judicial system. It not only weighs on the detention conditions of inmates, but also endangers the working conditions of prison staff and increases the risk of violence and disturbances in the facilities. A sustainable improvement of the situation requires further investments and reforms.