French Prisons Set New Record with Over 90,000 Inmates Amid Chronic Overcrowding Crisis

French prisons have reached a new record high in the number of inmates, totaling 90,937 as of October 1, according to statistics released by the French Ministry of Justice, amid a chronic prison overcrowding crisis gripping the country. This figure represents a 7.2% year-on-year increase compared to 84,862 inmates on October 1, 2025, while the number of operational places available did not exceed 63,452, marking a slight increase of just 1.5% over the course of a year.

This significant gap between the inmate population and operational capacity has directly impacted living conditions, as the number of mattresses placed on the floor due to a lack of beds rose to 8,959, jumping by 52% compared to October 1, 2025. These figures follow an earlier peak on September 1 of 90,020 inmates, which was considered an unprecedented record at the time.

European Warnings and Rights Criticisms

Earlier this year, the Council of Europe condemned the state of prisons in France, warning in a report of the risk that they could turn into "human warehouses" and pointing directly to worsening overcrowding, lack of hygiene, and escalating violence. For her part, Dominique Simonnot, the General Controller of Places of Deprivation of Liberty, lamented the absence of any "large-scale national action" to curb overcrowding, according to an official opinion published in the Official Journal in early July.

Government Measures to Address the Crisis

In an attempt to contain this mounting pressure, the Ministry of Justice plans to create 3,000 additional places using modular, prefabricated prisons—facilities described as less costly and quicker to construct—with plans to deliver half of this capacity by 2027. This effort comes at a time when fewer than a third of the 15,000 places promised under the broader national plan announced in 2018 have been delivered.

France remains among the worst-performing countries in Europe regarding prison density, ranking at the bottom alongside Turkey with an average of 131 inmates per 100 places, surpassing the overcrowding levels of Croatia (123) and Italy (121), according to Council of Europe data for 2025.