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Perhaps France’s most fabled prison, La Santé – in which ex-president of France Nicolas Sarkozy is now serving a five-year prison sentence for illegal conspiracy to obtain political donations from Libya – stands as the last remaining prison inside the city of Paris.

Located in the south part of Montparnasse district of the capital, it first opened in 1867 and was the site of at least 40 capital punishments, the final one in 1972. Partially shut down for upgrades in 2014, the facility resumed operations five years later and holds over 1,100 prisoners.

Well-known past inmates include poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the unauthorized trader Jérôme Kerviel, the civil servant and wartime collaborator Maurice Papon, the tycoon and politician Bernard Tapie, the militant from the seventies Carlos the Jackal, and talent scout Jean-Luc Brunel.

Protected Wing for Notable Prisoners

Notable or endangered prisoners are generally held in the prison's QB4 unit for “vulnerable people” – the dubbed “VIP quarters” – in single cells, rather than the standard three-person cells, and isolated during yard time for security reasons.

Positioned on the first floor, the unit has a set of uniform cells and a private recreation area so inmates are not required to mix with other prisoners – even though they continue to be exposed to whistles, jeers and cellphone pictures from nearby cells.

Mostly for this reason, Sarkozy is expected to be placed in the solitary confinement unit, which is in a distinct block. Actually, conditions are much the same as in the protected unit: the past leader will be alone in his cell and supervised by a prison officer each time he exits.

“The goal is to avoid any issues at all, so we have to block him from encountering any inmates,” a prison source revealed. “The most straightforward and most effective solution is to send Nicolas Sarkozy straight to solitary confinement.”

Accommodation Details

Both solitary and VIP rooms are similar to those in other parts in the jail, averaging around 10 sq metres, with window coverings designed to restrict communication, a sleeping cot, a small desk, a shower, WC, and fixed-line phone with pre-recorded numbers.

Sarkozy will receive standard meals but will additionally have access to the commissary, where he can buy food to make his own meals, as well as to a small solitary recreation area, a gym and the book collection. He can rent a fridge for 7.50 euros a per month and a TV for 14.15 euros.

Limited Social Contact

In addition to three authorized meetings a each week, he will mainly be alone – a luxury in the prison, which notwithstanding its recent upgrades is running at about twice its intended capacity of 657 prisoners. The country's correctional facilities are the third most congested in the EU.

Prison Supplies

Sarkozy, who has steadfastly asserted his non-guilt, has declared he will be taking with him a biography of Jesus and a edition of The Count of Monte Cristo, by the author Alexandre Dumas, in which an wrongly accused individual is condemned to jail but breaks out to get retribution.

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Jean-Michel Darrois, said he was additionally taking noise blockers because the jail can be loud at during the night, and several sweaters, because rooms can be cold. Sarkozy has stated he is not scared of being in jail and plans to utilize the time to compose a manuscript.

Release Prospects

It remains uncertain, nevertheless, how long he will in fact stay in La Santé: his attorneys have already filed for his premature release, and an reviewing judge will have to prove a potential of flight, repeat offenses or interfering with witnesses to validate his ongoing incarceration.

France's law specialists have proposed he could be out before a month passes.