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Maybe the nation's most legendary jail, La Santé – in which ex-president of France Nicolas Sarkozy is now serving a five-year incarceration for unlawful collusion to solicit election financing from the Libyan government – remains the last remaining prison inside the Paris city limits.

Found in the southern Montparnasse district of the capital, it was inaugurated in 1867 and was the scene of no fewer than 40 executions, the most recent in 1972. Partly closed for refurbishment in 2014, the prison resumed operations in 2019 and houses over 1,100 prisoners.

Renowned former detainees encompass poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the rogue trader Jérôme Kerviel, the government official and wartime collaborator Maurice Papon, the tycoon and politician Bernard Tapie, the 70s terrorist Carlos the Jackal, and modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel.

VIP Quarters for Notable Inmates

Prominent or vulnerable prisoners are generally placed in the jail’s QB4 section for “individuals at risk” – the often called “VIP quarters” – in solitary cells, not the standard three-person rooms, and isolated during yard time for protection purposes.

Located on the initial level, the ward has a set of uniform units and a private exercise yard so inmates are not obliged to mingle with other prisoners – while they remain exposed to whistles, taunts and smartphone photos from adjacent cells.

Mainly for that reason, Sarkozy is set to be housed in the solitary confinement unit, which is in a distinct block. Actually, the environment are very similar as in QB4: the past leader will be alone in his cell and escorted by a corrections officer each time he exits.

“The goal is to avert any issues whatsoever, so we must stop him from encountering any inmates,” an insider revealed. “The simplest and most effective method is to place Nicolas Sarkozy directly to isolation.”

Cell Conditions

Both isolation and VIP cells are the same to those elsewhere in the institution, averaging about 10 sq metres, with window coverings created to restrict interaction, a bed, a writing table, a shower, WC, and landline telephone with pre-set numbers.

Sarkozy is provided with regular meals but will also have the option to the commissary, where he can acquire groceries to make his own meals, as well as to a private exercise yard, a exercise room and the book collection. He can pay for a cooling unit for €7.50 a month and a television for 14.15 euros.

Controlled Interactions

In addition to three authorized meetings a per week, he will mainly be by himself – an advantage in La Santé, which notwithstanding its recent upgrades is running at roughly double its planned occupancy of 657 prisoners. The country's jails are the third most packed in the European Union.

Prison Supplies

Sarkozy, who has repeatedly protested his innocence, has said he will be taking with him a account of Jesus Christ and a edition of The Count of Monte Cristo, by the author Alexandre Dumas, in which an falsely convicted person is given a sentence to jail but flees to seek vengeance.

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Jean-Michel Darrois, said he was additionally taking noise blockers because the jail can be noisy at nighttime, and multiple sweaters, because cells can be chilly. Sarkozy has stated he is not scared of being in jail and plans to utilize the time to author a manuscript.

Uncertain Duration

It remains uncertain, nevertheless, the length of time he will in fact stay in the facility: his attorneys have submitted for his early release, and an judge on appeal will need to demonstrate a risk of flight, repeat offenses or influencing testimony to justify his continued detention.

French law specialists have proposed he could be out in less than a month.