LR MP proposes to make prisoners pay part of their detention costs

Make prisoners pay part of their detention costs: this is the surprising proposal of Eric Pauget, deputy for the 7th district of the Alpes-Maritimes, as revealed by our colleagues from

Nice-Matin

.

The elected, inserted in Les Républicains, intends to table a bill very soon, on the sidelines of the text defended by Eric Dupond-Moretti from this Tuesday, May 18 in the National Assembly and relating to "

confidence in the institution judicial

”.

To discover

• Deconfinement: what will change this Wednesday for the French

Read also: Does the Netherlands pronounce twice as many prison sentences as France?

“

It would be coherent to involve the detainees in the costs generated by their detention,

justifies Eric Pauget in a press release.

The problem of prison overcrowding in France will undoubtedly not be resolved in the coming years and the number of people convicted and imprisoned continues to increase.

All this has a cost for the taxpayer: around 100 euros per day and per prisoner

”.

80 million euros each year for the State

For the parliamentarian, such a measure would be "

dissuasive and would bring 80 million euros each year to the State

".

A sum that would, in particular, finance the necessary renovations in French prisons, according to the deputy.

Eric Pauget imagines that his proposal would help "

reduce the incomprehension of the French who do not understand why they should on their own finance individuals who have caused harm to society

".

Read also: Drama de Mérignac: the work of justice in question

An idea that could go hand in hand with the text of the Minister of Justice: the bill presented by Eric Dupond-Moretti provides in particular for the creation of a "

prison employment contract

".

Prisoners may also be entitled to unemployment insurance or old age insurance.

Eric Pauget is in any case not the first to have had the idea.

Already in October 2018, members of the UDI, as well as Marine Le Pen and Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, had tabled a bill "

aimed at establishing a compulsory contribution to the costs of incarceration of inmates

".

They proposed to charge at least 20 euros per day to each detainee, or 20% of the cost of a day of detention.