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Possibly France’s most legendary jail, the La Santé prison – where former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has started a five year prison sentence for criminal conspiracy to raise election financing from the Libyan government – stands as the last remaining prison inside the city of Paris.

Found in the south part of Montparnasse neighborhood of the capital, it first opened in 1867 and hosted of no fewer than 40 capital punishments, the last in 1972. Partly closed for renovation in 2014, the prison reopened in 2019 and houses in excess of 1,100 inmates.

Renowned ex- prisoners encompass poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the rogue trader Jérôme Kerviel, the government official and collaborator with the Nazis Maurice Papon, the entrepreneur and political figure Bernard Tapie, the militant from the seventies Carlos the Jackal, and model agent Jean-Luc Brunel.

Protected Wing for Prominent Inmates

Prominent or at-risk detainees are usually held in the prison's QB4 unit for “individuals at risk” – the dubbed “premium block” – in single cells, not the usual triple-occupancy rooms, and separated during exercise periods for security reasons.

Situated on the ground floor, the ward has a set of uniform cells and a reserved recreation area so detainees are not required to mingle with other prisoners – although they continue to be subject to calls, insults and cellphone pictures from adjacent cells.

Mainly for such concerns, Sarkozy is set to be housed in the solitary confinement unit, which is in a distinct block. Practically, conditions are largely identical as in QB4: the ex-president will be solitary in his unit and accompanied by a guard every time he goes out.

“The objective is to prevent any problems at all, so we have to stop him from encountering fellow detainees,” a prison source revealed. “The most straightforward and best approach is to place Nicolas Sarkozy straight to isolation.”

Living Quarters

Each of the solitary and protected units are identical to those in other parts in the jail, roughly about 10 sq metres, with window blinds designed to reduce interaction, a sleeping cot, a compact desk, a shower, WC, and landline telephone with authorized contacts only.

Sarkozy will be served typical prison food but will additionally have the option to the prison store, where he can buy food to make his own meals, as well as to a private outdoor space, a gym and the library. He can lease a fridge for seven euros fifty a month and a TV for fourteen euros fifteen.

Limited Social Contact

Apart from three permitted visits a per week, he will primarily be on his own – a privilege in the facility, which notwithstanding its recent renovation is operating at approximately double its designed capacity of 657 prisoners. The country's correctional facilities are the third most congested in the EU.

Items Brought

Sarkozy, who has repeatedly asserted his innocence, has stated he will be bringing with him a account of Jesus Christ and a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo, by the author Alexandre Dumas, in which an wrongly accused individual is condemned to prison but breaks out to seek vengeance.

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Jean-Michel Darrois, said he was additionally packing hearing protection because the facility can be loud at night, and a few jumpers, because cells can be chilly. Sarkozy has stated he is not scared of spending time in jail and intends to use it to author a manuscript.

Uncertain Duration

The duration is unknown, however, how long he will actually remain in La Santé: his legal team have already filed for his conditional release, and an judge on appeal will have to prove a risk of absconding, repeat offenses or influencing testimony to validate his continued detention.

France's jurists have suggested he might be released in less than a month.