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Maybe the nation's most fabled correctional facility, La Santé – in which former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has begun a five year jail term for unlawful collusion to solicit campaign funds from the Libyan government – stands as the only remaining prison within the Paris city limits.

Found in the southern Montparnasse area of the capital, it opened in the year 1867 and hosted of no fewer than 40 executions, the most recent in 1972. Partially closed for refurbishment in 2014, the prison resumed operations five years later and houses over 1,100 inmates.

Renowned ex- detainees encompass poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the unauthorized trader Jérôme Kerviel, the government official and wartime collaborator Maurice Papon, the tycoon and political figure Bernard Tapie, the militant from the seventies Carlos the Jackal, and talent scout Jean-Luc Brunel.

Special Treatment for Prominent Prisoners

Notable or endangered prisoners are usually accommodated in the jail’s QB4 ward for “individuals at risk” – the so-called “VIP section” – in solitary cells, rather than the standard three-person cells, and separated during outdoor activities for safety concerns.

Situated on the initial level, the unit has nineteen similar rooms and a reserved exercise yard so inmates are not obliged to mix with fellow inmates – while they are still subject to calls, taunts and smartphone photos from neighboring units.

Mostly for that reason, Sarkozy is set to be housed in the segregated section, which is in a distinct block. Actually, circumstances are largely identical as in the QB4 ward: the past leader will be solitary in his room and escorted by a guard every time he goes out.

“The aim is to prevent any issues whatsoever, so we have to prevent him from meeting fellow detainees,” an insider revealed. “The most straightforward and most efficient solution is to place Nicolas Sarkozy immediately to solitary confinement.”

Cell Conditions

Both isolation and protected units are identical to those in other parts in the institution, measuring about 10 square meters, with window blinds designed to reduce communication, a sleeping cot, a writing table, a shower, WC, and landline telephone with pre-set numbers.

Sarkozy will receive regular meals but will additionally have access to the prison store, where he can purchase groceries to cook for himself, as well as to a small solitary outdoor space, a gym and the book collection. He can pay for a fridge for €7.50 a per month and a television for 14.15 euros.

Limited Social Contact

Besides three authorized meetings a week, he will primarily be alone – an advantage in the prison, which notwithstanding its recent renovation is running at roughly twice its designed capacity of 657 inmates. The country's jails are the third most congested in the European Union.

Prison Supplies

Sarkozy, who has steadfastly protested his innocence, has said he will be bringing with him a account of Jesus Christ and a edition of The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas, in which an falsely convicted person is condemned to jail but breaks out to seek vengeance.

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Jean-Michel Darrois, mentioned he was additionally packing hearing protection because the facility can be noisy at nighttime, and several sweaters, because cells can be cool. Sarkozy has stated he is unafraid of serving time in jail and aims to utilize the time to write a manuscript.

Release Prospects

It remains uncertain, though, for how long he will in fact remain in La Santé: his lawyers have submitted for his early release, and an judge on appeal will must establish a potential of flight, further crimes or influencing testimony to warrant his further imprisonment.

France's jurists have suggested he might be released within a month.