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Perhaps the nation's most notorious jail, La Santé – in which ex-president of France Nicolas Sarkozy has begun a five year prison sentence for unlawful collusion to obtain campaign funds from Libya – is the only remaining prison inside the French capital's boundaries.

Situated in the south part of Montparnasse neighborhood of the city, it was inaugurated in 1867 and was the site of at least 40 death penalties, the most recent in 1972. Partially closed for renovation in 2014, the institution reopened five years later and houses more than 1,100 prisoners.

Well-known past prisoners encompass the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the unauthorized trader Jérôme Kerviel, the government official and collaborator with the Nazis Maurice Papon, the tycoon and politician Bernard Tapie, the militant from the seventies Carlos the Jackal, and modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel.

VIP Quarters for Notable Inmates

Prominent or vulnerable prisoners are usually held in the prison's QB4 unit for “protected persons” – the often called “VIP quarters” – in individual cells, not the standard three-inmate rooms, and kept alone during outdoor activities for security reasons.

Positioned on the first floor, the ward has a set of uniform rooms and a private outdoor space so prisoners are not obliged to interact with fellow inmates – although they continue to be exposed to whistles, insults and cellphone pictures from adjacent cells.

Mainly for such concerns, Sarkozy will reportedly be held in the solitary confinement unit, which is in a distinct block. Actually, the environment are largely identical as in QB4: the past leader will be solitary in his cell and supervised by a corrections officer whenever he leaves it.

“The aim is to prevent any problems at all, so we need to block him from coming into contact with any inmates,” a prison source commented. “The most straightforward and best solution is to send Nicolas Sarkozy straight to isolation.”

Cell Conditions

Each of the isolation and protected rooms are the same to those elsewhere in the jail, measuring about 10 sq metres, with window coverings designed to reduce interaction, a sleeping cot, a compact desk, a shower, toilet, and stationary phone with authorized contacts only.

Sarkozy will receive typical prison food but will additionally have the option to the commissary, where he can buy groceries to cook for himself, as well as to a private outdoor space, a gym and the prison library. He can lease a refrigerator for €7.50 a per month and a television set for fourteen euros fifteen.

Restricted Visits

Apart from three authorized meetings a week, he will mainly be by himself – an advantage in the facility, which in spite of its recent upgrades is functioning at about double its planned occupancy of 657 inmates. The country's jails are the third most packed in the EU.

Items Brought

Sarkozy, who has consistently asserted his non-guilt, has declared he will be carrying with him a account of Jesus and a edition of The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas, in which an falsely convicted person is sentenced to prison but breaks out to seek vengeance.

Sarkozy’s attorney, Jean-Michel Darrois, noted he was additionally taking earplugs because the jail can be noisy at during the night, and multiple sweaters, because units can be cool. Sarkozy has said he is unafraid of serving time in prison and intends to use it to compose a manuscript.

Possible Early Release

The duration is unknown, though, for how long he will actually remain in the prison: his legal team have already filed for his conditional release, and an reviewing judge will need to demonstrate a chance of flight, further crimes or witness-tampering to warrant his ongoing incarceration.

French jurists have suggested he may be freed in less than a month.