French prisons 'dangerous' for inmates

France’s prisons are overcrowded, unsanitary and increasingly housing criminals who require psychiatric and other medical care but are not getting it, according to a report released today.

The International Observatory of Prisons, or OIP, cast blame in its report on the French government for what it called “appalling penitentiary policies” that were “dangerous” for prisoners.

As of October 1, French prisons crowded 57,163 inmates into capacity for 51,144 people, meaning penitentiaries were 112% full.

The report noted that drug use in prison was rising and that inmates appeared to be increasingly requiring psychiatric care but the medical system was not designed to diagnose and treat such needs.

Inmate suicide rates showed no sign of slowing, with 115 suicides in 2004 and 53 as of midyear 2005.

The report also said that hygiene conditions created “an undeniable health risk” and were often degrading to inmates.

It cited the existence at Paris’ high-security La Sante prison of exposed toilets that were humiliating to use, “unsanitary” showers that lacked ventilation and were full of mould.

Another prison provided only common showers for ill inmates, risking the spread of contagious illnesses, the report said.