Prison reform in France

Country reports

• Report on the 2023 Periodic Visit to France · 2024

  CPT's seven-prison inspection of France documents severe overcrowding (some facilities at 200%+ of capacity), inadequate access to outdoor exercise, and serious shortcomings in mental-health care. France's prison occupancy hit a record 78,082 detainees in 2024 against a capacity of ~60,400.