In a report published today on its most recent visit to France (15-27 November 2015), the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) calls on the French authorities to take urgent measures to address the problem of prison overcrowding, to improve the conditions of detention in prisons and police establishments, the conditions under which detainees are transferred to and treated in hospitals, and the guidelines on means of restraint in the psychiatric facilities visited.
During its visit, the CPT paid particular attention to the conditions of detention in three remand prisons (Fresnes, Nîmes and Villepinte) with serious overcrowding problems, noting an occupancy rate there of 150 to 180%. The situation was of particular concern in the prisons of Fresnes and Nîmes where the overcrowding and the lack of activities was compounded by serious problems with heating, damp and infestations.
