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Maybe the nation's most fabled prison, the La Santé prison – where former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is now serving a five year jail term for criminal conspiracy to obtain campaign funds from Libya – is the only remaining prison within the French capital's boundaries.

Situated in the south part of Montparnasse neighborhood of the city, it opened in 1867 and hosted of a minimum of 40 executions, the most recent in 1972. Partly shut down for upgrades in 2014, the institution resumed operations five years later and holds over 1,100 inmates.

Renowned former detainees comprise the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the rogue trader Jérôme Kerviel, the public servant and Nazi collaborator Maurice Papon, the tycoon and political figure Bernard Tapie, the terrorist from the 1970s Carlos the Jackal, and talent scout Jean-Luc Brunel.

Protected Wing for Notable Prisoners

Notable or at-risk detainees are generally accommodated in the jail’s QB4 unit for “protected persons” – the dubbed “VIP section” – in single cells, not the standard triple-occupancy cells, and separated during outdoor activities for security reasons.

Positioned on the first floor, the unit has nineteen similar units and a dedicated recreation area so prisoners are not required to interact with other prisoners – although they are still subject to whistles, taunts and smartphone photos from nearby cells.

Primarily for that reason, Sarkozy is set to be housed in the isolation ward, which is in a separate wing. In reality, conditions are much the same as in QB4: the former president will be solitary in his room and escorted by a corrections officer every time he goes out.

“The goal is to avert any problems at all, so we must stop him from coming into contact with other prisoners,” an insider commented. “The most straightforward and most efficient approach is to assign Nicolas Sarkozy directly to segregation.”

Accommodation Details

Both isolation and protected units are identical to those in other parts in the jail, averaging about eleven square meters, with window coverings designed to reduce contact, a bed, a compact desk, a shower unit, toilet, and fixed-line phone with authorized contacts only.

Sarkozy will be served regular meals but will additionally have the ability to the prison store, where he can purchase items to prepare himself, as well as to a private recreation area, a gym and the book collection. He can pay for a fridge for 7.50 euros a per month and a television for €14.15.

Restricted Visits

Apart from three authorized meetings a each week, he will mostly be by himself – a privilege in the facility, which despite its modernization is functioning at approximately double its designed capacity of 657 detainees. The country's prisons are the third most packed in the European Union.

Personal Belongings

Sarkozy, who has steadfastly maintained his innocence, has said he will be taking with him a biography of Jesus Christ and a edition of The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas, in which an falsely convicted person is sentenced to prison but flees to seek vengeance.

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Jean-Michel Darrois, mentioned he was additionally bringing noise blockers because the facility can be disruptive at during the night, and multiple sweaters, because cells can be cool. Sarkozy has commented he is not scared of being in jail and plans to utilize the time to compose a manuscript.

Uncertain Duration

It remains uncertain, nevertheless, for how long he will in fact be housed in the facility: his lawyers have lodged for his premature release, and an reviewing judge will must establish a risk of absconding, repeat offenses or witness-tampering to validate his continued detention.

France's jurists have indicated he may be freed in less than a month.