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Possibly the nation's most notorious prison, the La Santé prison – in which former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has begun a five year incarceration for criminal conspiracy to solicit political donations from the Libyan government – remains the last remaining prison inside the French capital's boundaries.

Situated in the south part of Montparnasse neighborhood of the city, it first opened in 1867 and was the site of no fewer than 40 executions, the most recent in 1972. Partly shut down for renovation in 2014, the prison reopened half a decade later and houses more than 1,100 prisoners.

Renowned past prisoners comprise poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the unauthorized trader Jérôme Kerviel, the public servant and collaborator with the Nazis Maurice Papon, the entrepreneur and political figure Bernard Tapie, the militant from the seventies Carlos the Jackal, and modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel.

Special Treatment for Notable Inmates

Prominent or vulnerable detainees are typically placed in the jail’s QB4 section for “vulnerable people” – the so-called “premium block” – in single cells, rather than the typical triple-occupancy cells, and kept alone during outdoor activities for safety concerns.

Located on the first floor, the section has nineteen similar units and a reserved outdoor space so prisoners are not forced to mix with other detainees – even though they remain vulnerable to shouts, taunts and cellphone pictures from nearby cells.

Mostly for that reason, Sarkozy is set to be housed in the isolation ward, which is in a separate wing. Practically, the environment are largely identical as in QB4: the former president will be by himself in his cell and supervised by a guard whenever he leaves it.

“The objective is to avert any problems whatsoever, so we need to prevent him from coming into contact with any inmates,” a prison source revealed. “The most straightforward and best method is to send Nicolas Sarkozy directly to segregation.”

Accommodation Details

Each of the isolation and VIP units are identical to those in other parts in the prison, measuring approximately 10 sq metres, with coverings on windows intended to reduce interaction, a bed, a small desk, a shower, toilet, and landline telephone with pre-set numbers.

Sarkozy is provided with typical prison food but will additionally have access to the prison store, where he can acquire items to make his own meals, as well as to a private recreation area, a gym and the prison library. He can lease a fridge for 7.50 euros a per month and a television for fourteen euros fifteen.

Limited Social Contact

Besides three allowed visits a per week, he will mainly be on his own – a luxury in La Santé, which in spite of its recent upgrades is operating at about twice its planned occupancy of 657 inmates. France’s prisons are the third most packed in the EU bloc.

Items Brought

Sarkozy, who has consistently protested his innocence, has declared he will be bringing with him a biography of Jesus Christ and a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo, by the author Alexandre Dumas, in which an wrongly accused individual is given a sentence to jail but escapes to take revenge.

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Jean-Michel Darrois, said he was also packing earplugs because the jail can be noisy at nighttime, and several sweaters, because rooms can be cold. Sarkozy has commented he is unafraid of being in prison and intends to make use of the period to compose a book.

Release Prospects

The duration is unknown, nevertheless, how long he will really be housed in La Santé: his attorneys have already filed for his premature release, and an reviewing judge will have to prove a chance of flight, reoffending or influencing testimony to validate his further imprisonment.

French jurists have suggested he might be released within a month.