The Minister of Justice, Didier Migaud, announced during an interview on the show “Questions politiques” on November 10th that the goal of constructing 15,000 additional prison places by 2027 will not be met. This plan was initiated by Emmanuel Macron in 2017 in an effort to address the chronic issue of overcrowding in French prisons. Despite this, only 4,500 new places have been delivered so far, with the main delays attributed to land acquisition issues and opposition from local officials who do not want these facilities built in their areas. Migaud stated that he will propose measures to partially address this delay, but admitted that the target will not be achieved by 2027.
The Minister of Justice also mentioned the possibility of using exceptional procedures to bypass local opposition when it comes to building facilities of national interest. As of October 1st, 2024, the number of inmates in France reached a new record high of 79,631, with a prison occupancy rate of 127.9%. This places France as one of the worst offenders in Europe in terms of prison overcrowding, ranking third behind Cyprus and Romania according to a study by the Council of Europe published in June. The inability to meet the construction targets for new prison places exacerbates this problem.
Didier Migaud’s admission that the construction of 15,000 new prison places will be delayed comes as a blow to efforts to address overcrowding in French prisons. The Minister has acknowledged the challenges faced in implementing this plan, including difficulties with land acquisition and opposition from local officials. The proposed measures to partially address this delay may provide some relief, but the overall goal of reducing overcrowding by building new facilities will not be achieved by the target date of 2027.
The situation of overcrowding in French prisons has reached critical levels, with record numbers of inmates being held in facilities that are already operating beyond capacity. The lack of progress in building new prison places exacerbates this issue and places France among the worst offenders in Europe in terms of prison overcrowding. The government’s admission that the construction target will not be met as planned underscores the urgency of finding alternative solutions to address the chronic issue of overcrowded prisons in the country.
Despite the challenges faced in implementing the plan to build 15,000 new prison places, Minister of Justice Didier Migaud has expressed a commitment to finding ways to address the delays and move forward with efforts to reduce overcrowding in French prisons. The proposed measures to overcome local opposition and accelerate the construction process may provide some hope for alleviating the strain on the country’s prison system. However, it is clear that more proactive and efficient solutions will be needed to effectively tackle the long-standing issue of overcrowding in French prisons and ensure the humane treatment of inmates in the country.
