La Santé Prison

La Santé Prison[1] (French: Maison d'arrêt de la Santé or Paris - La Santé) is a prison operated by the Ministry of Justice located in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, France. It is one of the most famous prisons in France, with both VIP and high security wings.

La Santé is one of the three main prisons of the Paris area, the Fleury-Mérogis Prison (Europe's largest prison) and the Fresnes Prison, both located in the southern suburbs, being the other two.

Contents

History

The architect Vaudremer built the prison, which was inaugurated on 20 August 1867.[2]

During World War II, the prison was used to hold both common criminals as well as opponents of the German occupation. On Bastille Day in 1944, as Allied forces were approaching the city, the prisoners revolted, an insurrection that was put down with great brutality and loss of life by the Vichy Milice.

The prison features a hub-and-spoke design similar to that which had been previously implemented in the construction of Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

In 2000, the head doctor of the prison, Veronique Vasseur, published a book in which she denounced the very bad conditions of imprisonment, filth, illnesses, etc. The book was a shock to the public and prompted parliamentary evaluation of the situation.[3]

Well-known prisoners of La Santé

References

  1. ^ "Exploring the "underside of the maps". Interviews of Jean-Christophe Victor and Laurène L’Allinec." Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved on 20 May 2010. "One day, I was invited by the La Santé prison in Paris..."
  2. ^ "La Santé - Etablissement pénitentiaire - maison d'arrêt." - Ministry of France. Retrieved on October 18, 2010. "La maison d'arrêt de Paris construite par l'architecte Vaudremer fut inaugurée le 20 août 1867, rue de la Santé"
  3. ^ Expose of Brutal Prison Jolts France's Self-Image, The New York Times, January 28, 2000
  4. ^ a b Davies, Lizzie. "Manuel Noriega, former ruler of Panama, sent to jail by French judge." The Guardian. Tuesday 27 April 2010. Retrieved on 21 May 2010. "Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, the Venezuelan terrorist better known as Carlos the Jackal, is currently serving a life sentence there.."
  5. ^ Souchard, Pierre-Antoine. "French court to decide about Noriega's detention." Associated Press. 5 May 2010. Retrieved on 6 May 2010.
  6. ^ a b Souchard, Pierre-Antoine. "Panama's ex-dictator Noriega jailed in France." Associated Press. Tuesday 27 April 2010. Retrieved on 20 May 2010.
  7. ^ http://rapadonf.fr/blog/2010/06/seth-gueko-place-en-garde-a-vue-pour-coups-et-blessures (in French)

Further reading

External links