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France · Île-de-France · Fleury-Mérogis

Maison d'arrêt de Fleury-Mérogis

Maison d'arrêt (remand)MixedmixedOvercrowded (147%)ModerateHigh
Verified · Data dated
Aging · 5mo ago
Sources last reviewed on · data-as-of

Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date.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 Maison d'arrêt de Fleury-Mérogis

Step-by-step guidance using the France system — addresses, money services, visit booking, what to bring on your first visit.

Open toolkit
Photograph of Maison d'arrêt de Fleury-Mérogis

Gallery

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

  • 1981 Fleury-Mérogis prison revolt.png

    Photo by Nanou Battestini via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

  • Fleury-Mérogis Prison.jpg

    Photo by Thomon via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

  • Prison de Fleury-Mérogis.jpg

    Photo by Thomon via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Europe's largest prison by inmate count. Includes male, female, and minor sections. Holds remand and short-sentence prisoners from Paris-region courts.

Capacity

2,855

Current population

4,200

Occupancy

147%

Year opened

1968

Operational

Figures from official sources · verified 29 May 2026 · methodology

Facility profile

Population held

mixed

Opened

1968

Region

Île-de-France

Security level

Mixed

Death-row facility

No

Conditions

Persistent overcrowding above 145%, with mattresses on cell floors documented.

Visiting

Visits require a permis de visite issued by the investigating magistrate (remand) or prison administration (sentenced).

Mailing

Letters screened. Format: Nom Prénom écrou n°, MA Fleury-Mérogis, 7 avenue des Peupliers, 91705 Fleury-Mérogis Cedex.

Practical info

On-site visitor centre (Maison d'accueil des familles) run by an associative network.

Known issues

France has been repeatedly condemned by the European Court of Human Rights for conditions at Fleury-Mérogis (J.M.B. v. France, 2020).

Notable inmates

  • Mehran Karimi Nasseri
    Mehran Karimi Nasseri
    1945–2022 · memoirist

    Mehran Karimi Nasseri (Persian: مهران کریمی ناصری, pronounced [mehˈrɒn kæriˈmi nɒseˈri]; 1945 – 12 November 2022), also known as Sir, Alfred Mehran, was an Iranian refugee who lived in the departure lounge of Terminal 1 at Charles de Gaulle Airport from 26 August 1988 until July 2006.

  • Alexandre Brandy
    1987 · writer
  • Ryke Geerd Hamer
    1935–2017 · physician

    Ryke Geerd Hamer (17 May 1935 – 2 July 2017) was a German former physician and the originator of Germanic New Medicine (GNM), also formerly known as German New Medicine and New Medicine, a system of pseudo-medicine that purports to be able to cure cancer.

  • Bruno Sulak
    1955–1985 · gangster
  • Salim Berrada
    1985 · engineer
  • Brigitte Brami
    1964 · writer
  • Mihraç Ural
    1956 · warlord

    Mihrac Ural (Arabic: مهراج أورال), also known as Ali Kayali (Arabic: علي كيالي), is a Turkish-Syrian Alawite militant and leader of the Syrian Resistance (formerly known as the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Sanjak of Iskandarun), a pro-Ba'athist Syrian militia.

  • Jean Castela
    ? · teacher
  • Christine Deviers-Joncour
    Christine Deviers-Joncour
    1947 · writer

Showing 9 of 12. Source: Wikidata + Wikipedia.

Contact & address

7 avenue des Peupliers, Fleury-Mérogis 91705
+33 1 69 72 30 00
Official site

Conditions Risk Score

Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated

17/100
Moderate concern17/100
Overcrowding
12/30
Oversight reports
0/30
Structural flags
5/15
Death signals
0/15
Conditions text
0/10

What the score is responding to:

  • · Operating at 147% of design capacity
  • · Substantial documented known-issues record

This facility scores 17. The national average across 732 scored France facilities is 12 — 5 points above national average.

Trend over time

Population and occupancy by year. Source: official corrections statistics + oversight reports.

Population held

2018: 4,050+3.7%2024: 4,200

Occupancy %

2018: 142.0%+3.5%2024: 147.0%

Related facilities

All in France →

Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.

Compared to other facilities in France

731 peers
Conditions risk scorethis: 17/100 · peers avg: 12/100 (+37%)

Higher risk than 61% of peer facilities in France.

Occupancythis: 147% · peers avg: 139% (+6%)
Capacity (beds)this: 2855 · peers avg: 336 (+750%)

Reports

  • European Court of Human Rights — J.M.B. v. France30 Jan 2020

    France condemned for systemic Article 3 violations in remand prisons including Fleury-Mérogis. Pilot judgement requiring structural reform.

    source

Data completeness

100%

How many of our profile fields are populated. We surface this so families and researchers know the limits.

Sources

Cite this page

Under CC-BY-4.0. Include the URL and access date; the site is a living reference and entries can change.

APA
World Prisons. (2026). Maison d'arrêt de Fleury-Mérogis. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/fleury-merogis
Chicago
"Maison d'arrêt de Fleury-Mérogis." World Prisons. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/fleury-merogis.
BibTeX
@misc{worldprisons-fleury-merogis,
  author = {{World Prisons}},
  title = {Maison d'arrêt de Fleury-Mérogis},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/fleury-merogis},
  urldate = {2026-10-15}
}