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Possibly France’s most notorious jail, the La Santé prison – where former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has started a five year jail term for unlawful collusion to solicit election financing from Libya – is the last remaining prison within the city of Paris.

Located in the south part of Montparnasse district of the capital, it first opened in the year 1867 and was the site of no fewer than 40 capital punishments, the final one in 1972. Partially closed for refurbishment in 2014, the institution reopened five years later and holds over 1,100 inmates.

Renowned past detainees comprise poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the financial trader Jérôme Kerviel, the civil servant and collaborator with the Nazis Maurice Papon, the entrepreneur and politician Bernard Tapie, the terrorist from the 1970s Carlos the Jackal, and modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel.

Special Treatment for Notable Inmates

Prominent or endangered inmates are generally placed in the prison's QB4 unit for “individuals at risk” – the often called “premium block” – in single cells, not the standard three-inmate rooms, and isolated during yard time for protection purposes.

Positioned on the initial level, the unit has a set of uniform units and a dedicated outdoor space so inmates are not obliged to mingle with other detainees – while they are still vulnerable to whistles, taunts and cellphone pictures from nearby cells.

Mainly for that reason, Sarkozy is expected to be placed in the solitary confinement unit, which is in a distinct block. Practically, conditions are largely identical as in QB4: the ex-president will be by himself in his cell and accompanied by a guard whenever he exits.

“The aim is to avert any incidents at all, so we need to block him from encountering any inmates,” an insider stated. “The simplest and best solution is to send Nicolas Sarkozy immediately to isolation.”

Living Quarters

Both isolation and protected units are identical to those in other parts in the institution, averaging approximately eleven square meters, with coverings on windows intended to limit communication, a sleeping cot, a compact desk, a shower unit, toilet, and fixed-line phone with pre-recorded numbers.

Sarkozy will receive regular meals but will also have the option to the commissary, where he can acquire groceries to make his own meals, as well as to a private outdoor space, a gym and the prison library. He can pay for a cooling unit for 7.50 euros a per month and a television set for fourteen euros fifteen.

Restricted Visits

In addition to three allowed visits a per week, he will primarily be by himself – a luxury in La Santé, which notwithstanding its modernization is running at approximately double its planned occupancy of 657 inmates. France’s jails are the third most congested in the EU.

Items Brought

Sarkozy, who has steadfastly asserted his non-guilt, has said he will be taking with him a biography of Jesus Christ and a version of The Count of Monte Cristo, by the author Alexandre Dumas, in which an falsely convicted person is condemned to prison but escapes to seek vengeance.

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Jean-Michel Darrois, mentioned he was also taking earplugs because the facility can be noisy at nighttime, and several sweaters, because rooms can be chilly. Sarkozy has stated he is fearless of being in prison and plans to make use of the period to compose a publication.

Release Prospects

It remains uncertain, nevertheless, for how long he will in fact stay in La Santé: his lawyers have already filed for his early release, and an judge on appeal will need to demonstrate a risk of absconding, repeat offenses or influencing testimony to justify his ongoing incarceration.

French law specialists have suggested he could be out within a month.