Wardens and employees of the Arras remand center (Pas-de-Calais) walked out on Wednesday morning June 29 and blocked the establishment to protest against its overcrowding, said union and Interregional Directorate of Penitentiary Services (Disp) .
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About thirty of the 88 employees of the remand center participated in the action in the middle of the morning, which began at 6 a.m., told AFP Fabien Hurtrel, local secretary of Ufap-Unsa, confirming information from France Bleu Nord .
“
We only let the nurses through, the visiting rooms and canteens are blocked, we prevented one extraction and slowed down another
,” said this supervisor.
265 detainees for 209 places
According to the DISP of Lille, the action had been anticipated, and the "
canteens are taking place
", while the families were warned in advance of the blocking of the visiting rooms.
According to Fabien Hurtrel, the action, which should continue until the end of the afternoon, aims to obtain a "
decongestion of the prison
", overcrowded in particular due to work carried out in another remand center in the region, in Douai.
The establishment currently accommodates 265 prisoners for 209 places, specified the DISP, noting that the prisons are currently "
overcrowded throughout the region and more generally all of France
".
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The interregional director went there in the morning and assured the protesters that a "
decluttering operation
" is in preparation.
The management is committed to "
massive transfers soon
", "
but we are waiting to see
", said Fabien Hurtrel.
The staff also calls for measures to "
secure against projectiles
", very numerous and launched in particular from a car park adjoining the establishment, he added.
