French Prison Staff Protest Over Severe Overcrowding, Staff Shortages

(MENAFN) Prison staff across France have launched coordinated blockades in protest against worsening overcrowding and a significant lack of personnel, conditions unions say are pushing the penitentiary system toward crisis.

The action, led by major prison staff unions including Ufap-Unsa Justice, CGT-Penitentiaire, and SPS-CEA, is expected to disrupt operations in nearly half of the country’s prisons, affecting around 80 facilities nationwide. Demonstrators are operating under the slogan: “No one enters, no one leaves.”

Unions say the goal is to pressure authorities into addressing what they describe as an increasingly unmanageable situation in the prison system.

Official data from the Justice Ministry indicates that French prisons currently hold around 88,000 inmates, despite having capacity for just over 63,000, resulting in an occupancy rate of approximately 137 percent. Reports also indicate that thousands of prisoners are forced to sleep on floor mattresses due to lack of space.

Union representatives warn that the conditions are creating serious risks for both staff and inmates, describing the system as increasingly unstable. One union official said prisons have become “real powder kegs,” arguing that staff are only keeping operations running through extreme effort.

The crisis is also linked to staffing shortages, with unions estimating around 5,000 vacant positions across the prison system. Officers have reported rising levels of violence, fatigue, and operational strain in multiple facilities.

A prison staff representative speaking to media criticized the lack of concrete government response, saying repeated promises have not translated into meaningful action.

Authorities have not yet announced immediate measures in response to the protests. However, the Justice Minister has previously suggested possible reforms, including limits on prison intake to help ease overcrowding pressures.

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