France · Île-de-France · Paris
Maison d'arrêt de la Santé
Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date.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 la Santé
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 Unknown authorUnknown author via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Le Rire via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Central-Photos via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Central-Photos via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by UnknownUnknown via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Excelsior via Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Photo by UnknownUnknown via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by UnknownUnknown via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Paris's only prison within the city limits. Renovated 2014-2019. Three quarters: maison d'arrêt, semi-liberté, and the historic VIP section.
Capacity
808
Current population
900
Occupancy
111%
Year opened
1867
Operational
Facility profile
Operator
Administration pénitentiaire
Population held
male
Opened
1867
Region
Île-de-France
Security level
High
Death-row facility
No
Conditions
Renovated 2014-2019. Now operating above design capacity again as of 2024.
Visiting
Permis de visite required. Visits 30-60 minutes; specific high-security visiting room for VIP/sensitive cases.
Mailing
Format: Nom Prénom n° d'écrou, Maison d'arrêt de la Santé, 42 rue de la Santé, 75674 Paris Cedex 14.
Practical info
Family visit reservations via internet portal Cap Justice.
Known issues
Pre-renovation conditions described in Véronique Vasseur's bestselling 2000 memoir prompted national reform debate.
Notable inmates
Manuel Noriega (extradition), Bernard Tapie, Carlos the Jackal, Patrick Henry, Charles Sobhraj.
Contact & address
Conditions Risk Score
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
- Overcrowding
- 5/30
- Oversight reports
- 6/30
- Structural flags
- 5/15
- Death signals
- 0/15
- Conditions text
- 0/10
What the score is responding to:
- · Operating at 111% of design capacity
- · 1 oversight report in the last 5 years
- · Substantial documented known-issues record
Trend over time
Population and occupancy by year. Source: official corrections statistics + oversight reports.
Population held
Occupancy %
Compared to other facilities in France
557 peersHigher risk than 0% of peer facilities in France.
Reports
- Contrôleur général des lieux de privation de liberté12 Mar 2024
CGLPL noted that post-renovation occupancy at La Santé has returned above design capacity, with informal mattresses in some maison d'arrêt cells.
Data completeness
100%How many of our profile fields are populated. We surface this so families and researchers know the limits.
Sources
- Contrôleur général des lieux de privation de liberté
- Ministère de la Justice — Statistiques de la population détenue — République française
- Contrôleur général des lieux de privation de liberté — République française
- See /data-sources for our overall methodology.