France · Brest
Brest Prison
Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date. Always verify with primary sources before acting on any figure. See data sources.
For families
How to send mail, money, and visit Brest Prison
Step-by-step guidance using the France system — addresses, money services, visit booking, what to bring on your first visit.
Gallery
From Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA where not otherwise stated).
Photo by Moreau.henri via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Photo by AnonymousUnknown author via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Holley via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Holley via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by AnonymousUnknown author via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Nicolas Ozanne via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Nicolas Ozanne via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Jules Achille Noël via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Background
The Brest Prison (French - bagne de Brest) was a 254m long prison in Brest, France. It was built between 1749 and 1751 by Antoine Choquet de Lindu, dominating the military port it was built to serve. It could house 3000 prisoners (sometimes as much as 10% of the town's population), children as young as 11 as well as older people. It was closed in 1858, and demolished in the late 1940s.
Source: Wikipedia article lead, CC-BY-SA.
Capacity
3,000
Current population
—
Occupancy
—
Year opened
1752
Closed 1944
Figures from official sources · verified 29 May 2026 · methodology
Facility profile
Operator
—
Population held
Mixed/unknown
Opened
1752
Region
Brest
Security level
—
Death-row facility
No
Conditions
No conditions summary available yet.
Visiting
No visiting information available.
Mailing
No mailing information available.
Practical info
Contact the operator's website for inmate-specific procedures.
Known issues
No major issues documented in our database.
Notable inmates
Pierre Coignard1774–1834
Eugène François Vidocq1775–1857 · detectiveEugène-François Vidocq (French: [øÊÉn fÊÉÌswa vidÉk]; 24 July 1775 â 11 May 1857) was a French criminal turned criminalist, whose life story inspired several writers, including Victor Hugo, Edgar Allan Poe, and Honoré de Balzac.
Source: Wikidata + Wikipedia.
Contact & address
No public contact details available.
Conditions Risk Score
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
Related facilities
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
- Maison d'arrêt BayonneBayonnepretrialMaison d'arrêt209% occupancy
- Maison d'arrêt CarcassonnepretrialMaison d'arrêt236% occupancy
- Maison d'arrêt LimogesLimogespretrialMaison d'arrêt219% occupancy
- Maison d'arrêt VannespretrialMaison d'arrêt200% occupancy
- Maison d'arrêt AuxerreAuxerrepretrialMaison d'arrêt208% occupancy
- Maison d'arrêt AmiensAmienspretrialMaison d'arrêt212% occupancy
Compared to other facilities in France
731 peersData completeness
22%How many of our profile fields are populated. We surface this so families and researchers know the limits.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Wikimedia Foundation
- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation
- Wikidata (Q2879067)
- Wikipedia
- Wikimedia Commons
- See /data-sources for our overall methodology.
Cite this page
Under CC-BY-4.0. Include the URL and access date; the site is a living reference and entries can change.
World Prisons. (2026). Brest Prison. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/brest-prison
"Brest Prison." World Prisons. Accessed October 20, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/brest-prison.
@misc{worldprisons-brest-prison,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {Brest Prison},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/brest-prison},
urldate = {2026-10-20}
}