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Criticisms of
conditions in French detention centres
 November
24, 2008 - Council of Europe Commissioner (COE) for Human
Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, has criticised detention conditions
in France, saying there exists “unacceptable living conditions
faced by many detainees, who have to cope with overcrowding,
lack of privacy, dilapidated facilities and substandard
hygiene”.
“Security concerns should not undermine a full respect for human
rights norms. Some French policies on detention and immigration
risk undermining these standards”, the COE Commissioner added.
Mr Hammarberg said that the problems in the present system need
to be solve rapidly and that “the proposed revision of prison
legislation must not ignore respect for prisoners’ fundamental
rights, and more effective solutions and financial means should
be provided to improve both material conditions and the
treatment of people suffering from mental disorders.”
These comments follow the release of the Commissioner's
memorandum on his May visit to France, a visit where he
discussed human rights issues with various government ministers
and conducted visits to a number of detention and penitentiary
facilities.
Despite the criticisms, Mr Hammarberg welcomes a number of
improvements made since his 2006 report, namely the efforts made
by French authorities to enhance prison living conditions. Since
the 2006 recommendations, prisons authorities in France have
launched a large-scale review of procedures for applying the new
European Prison Rules, with a view to having these rules
generally applicable to all prisons by 2008.
Director of JRS France, Mr Jean Marie Carrière, welcomes Mr
Hammarberg's comments regarding detention, saying, “It is
necessary to condemn the lack of concrete guidelines for
detention and the perverse effects these policies have on
people, namely quotas on return and the interception of parents
outside schools”.
To read Commissioner Hammarberg's report visit:
http://www.coe.int/t/commissioner/News/2008/081120FranceMemo_en.asp
For the 2007 Cimade report on conditions in French detention
centres visit:
http://www.cimade.org/publications/16
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