World Prisons
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France · 6th arrondissement of Paris

Cherche-Midi prison

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Photograph of Cherche-Midi prison

Gallery

From Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA where not otherwise stated).

  • 1061 PARIS - La Prison Militaire et le Conseil de Guerre, Rue du Cherche-Midi, CP468.jpg

    Photo by Neurdein Frères, editeur via Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

  • Ave Maria. 2 dessins. Bon pasteur 1 dessin communauté dite du bon pasteur (ancienne manutention) vu du n°41 rue de S, D.8021(894)(2).jpg

    Photo by Leymonnerye, Léon (1803 - 1879), dessinateur via Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

  • Détail de l'imposte du portail, prison militaire du Cherche Midi, 37 rue du Cherche-Midi, 6ème arrondissement, Paris, PH7663(2).jpg

    Photo by Atget, Eugène (Jean Eugène Auguste Atget, dit) (Libourne, 12–02–1857 - Paris, 04–08–1927), photographe via Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

  • Forzinetti, Ferdinand Dominique (La Vie illustrée).jpg

    Photo by Unknown authorUnknown author via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

  • Hommage au colonel Picquart - Pierre-Émile Cornillier.jpg

    Photo by Pierre-Émile Cornillier via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

  • Le directeur des prisons du Cherche-Midi, après 1847, NS604.jpg

    Photo by Unknown via Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

  • Prison rue du Cherche Midi en 1910.jpg

    Photo by Unknown authorUnknown author via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

  • Orens - Lt Colonel Picquart à la prison du Cherche-Midi.jpg

    Photo by Orens Denizard via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Background

The Cherche-Midi prison was a French military prison located in Paris, France. It housed military prisoners between 1851 and 1947. Construction on the prison began in 1847, when the former convent of the Daughters of the Good Shepherd was demolished on Rue du Cherche-Midi in Paris. The prison was modeled after the Auburn prison in Auburn, New York, and consisted of 200 solitary confinement cells. The prison population consisted of military personnel convicted of crimes by military tribunal, draft dodgers, deserters and occasional political prisoners.

Source: Wikipedia article lead, CC-BY-SA.

Capacity

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Current population

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Occupancy

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Year opened

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Operational

Figures from official sources · verified 29 May 2026 · methodology

Facility profile

Operator

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Population held

Mixed/unknown

Opened

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Region

6th arrondissement of Paris

Security level

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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

Showing 9 of 12. Source: Wikidata + Wikipedia.

Contact & address

No public contact details available.

Conditions Risk Score

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Data completeness

16%

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Sources

Cite this page

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APA
World Prisons. (2026). Cherche-Midi prison. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/cherche-midi-prison
Chicago
"Cherche-Midi prison." World Prisons. Accessed October 20, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/cherche-midi-prison.
BibTeX
@misc{worldprisons-cherche-midi-prison,
  author = {{World Prisons}},
  title = {Cherche-Midi prison},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/cherche-midi-prison},
  urldate = {2026-10-20}
}