🔗 Share this article What Awaits Sarkozy in La Santé Prison and What Belongings Did He Bring? Maybe France’s most fabled jail, the La Santé prison – in which ex-president of France Nicolas Sarkozy has begun a five-year prison sentence for criminal conspiracy to raise election financing from the Libyan government – is the last remaining prison inside the French capital's boundaries. Found in the south part of Montparnasse district of the city, it was inaugurated in the year 1867 and was the scene of a minimum of 40 death penalties, the last in 1972. Partially shut down for refurbishment in 2014, the prison resumed operations half a decade later and holds over 1,100 detainees. Famous past detainees comprise poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the rogue trader Jérôme Kerviel, the civil servant and Nazi collaborator Maurice Papon, the entrepreneur and political figure Bernard Tapie, the 70s terrorist Carlos the Jackal, and talent scout Jean-Luc Brunel. Protected Wing for Notable Inmates High-profile or at-risk detainees are usually placed in the jail’s QB4 section for “vulnerable people” – the often called “VIP section” – in solitary cells, not the standard three-person units, and isolated during outdoor activities for safety concerns. Positioned on the initial level, the section has nineteen similar cells and a dedicated outdoor space so prisoners are not obliged to mingle with other detainees – although they are still exposed to shouts, taunts and mobile snapshots from nearby cells. Mainly for this reason, Sarkozy is expected to be placed in the solitary confinement unit, which is in a isolated area. Actually, the environment are very similar as in the QB4 ward: the ex-president will be solitary in his cell and accompanied by a guard whenever he leaves it. “The aim is to avert any issues at all, so we need to prevent him from encountering other prisoners,” a prison source stated. “The most straightforward and most effective method is to place Nicolas Sarkozy straight to solitary confinement.” Cell Conditions Both solitary and VIP units are similar to those elsewhere in the jail, averaging around 10 square meters, with window blinds designed to reduce interaction, a sleeping cot, a small desk, a shower unit, toilet, and stationary phone with pre-recorded numbers. Sarkozy will be served typical prison food but will additionally have the ability to the canteen, where he can buy groceries to prepare himself, as well as to a private outdoor space, a exercise room and the library. He can lease a refrigerator for 7.50 euros a monthly and a TV for 14.15 euros. Limited Social Contact Besides three authorized meetings a per week, he will mainly be alone – a luxury in the facility, which notwithstanding its modernization is operating at about double its planned occupancy of 657 detainees. The country's prisons are the third most congested in the EU. Items Brought Sarkozy, who has steadfastly maintained his innocence, has stated he will be bringing with him a account of Jesus and a version of The Count of Monte Cristo, by the author Alexandre Dumas, in which an falsely convicted person is condemned to jail but escapes to seek vengeance. Sarkozy’s legal counsel, Jean-Michel Darrois, noted he was also bringing earplugs because the facility can be loud at nighttime, and multiple sweaters, because cells can be cold. Sarkozy has said he is fearless of spending time in prison and intends to use it to compose a book. Uncertain Duration It remains uncertain, though, how long he will in fact remain in La Santé: his attorneys have lodged for his conditional release, and an judge on appeal will must establish a risk of escaping, reoffending or influencing testimony to justify his ongoing incarceration. France's legal experts have suggested he might be released within a month.