Clairvaux Prison

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Clairvaux Prison is a high-security prison in France, on the site of the former Clairvaux Abbey.

Contents

[edit] 1971 revolt

In 1971, convicts Claude Buffet and Roger Bontems took hostage, then murdered a nurse and a prison guard. They were captured. Bontems, whose defense counsels included Robert Badinter, contended that the murder was Buffet's idea, while Buffet affirmed that he now desired death. Both were sentenced to death by the "assises" court in June 1972 and were guillotined.

[edit] 2006 manifesto

In January 16, 2006, several detainees condemned to life-sentence, and having all passed from 6 to 28 years in prison, signed a manifesto denouncing a "false" abolition of death penalty, transformed into a slow and continuous punishment. The convicts specifically denounce the French Republic which claimed, in accordance with the "advises of the European Council", that the "enforcing of prison sentences... has been conceived not only in order to protect society and assure the punishment of the convict, but also to favorise his amendement and prepare his rehabilitation". "In reality: everything is for the punishment" [1].

[edit] Prisoners

The famous terrorist Ilich Ramírez Sánchez (also known as Carlos the Jackal) is currently serving his life sentence here.

[edit] Endnotes

[edit] See also

  • Michel Foucault's criticism of the pseudo-rehabilitation ideal of the prison

[edit] Sources

Official website of french prisons : http://www.justice.gouv.fr/minister/DAP/etablissement.htm (fr)