Le Figaro Bordeaux
The Bordeaux-Gradignan prison is still being talked about.
This time, it is a particular cell, the 625, which is the center of attention.
Located in the men's section of the remand center, it accommodates between two and three prisoners, for a total floor area of approximately 7.90m2, in conditions deemed particularly unworthy.
The French section of the International Prison Observatory (OIP) lodged an appeal with the Council of State, denouncing "
notably precarious material accommodation conditions
" (lack of complete partitioning of the toilets, lack of light, dilapidated electrical installation and lack of hot water) in cell 625. The OIP asked the Minister of Justice to close this room or limit its occupancy to one person, until the conditions of detention were improved.
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The president of the French section of the OIP, Maître Matthieu Quinquis, explains that this approach was brought by his association because a defendant had himself appealed in September 2022. The Bordeaux court had then concluded that substantiated of the request presented and requested that the undignified conditions of detention be put to an end, by transferring the defendant to a nearby penitentiary establishment.
The OIP wanted to go even further, by obliging the judge to take measures to close this cell, in order “to
ensure that other people are not exposed to the same inhuman and degrading treatment
”.
In an order of December 20, 2022, the Council of State recognized that the OIP was "well
founded in maintaining that the occupation of cell no. 625 by three or even two prisoners leads to the exposure, in a characteristic way, of last to inhuman or degrading treatment
”.
However, the judge rejected the request on the grounds that the association was "
unjustified in asking that cell no. who considers that he is being subjected to conditions unworthy of detention to seize, if necessary, the judicial authority
”.
145 “tripled” cells in Gradignan
For Matthieu Quinquis, this reference to the individual responsibility of detainees is "
totally intolerable
".
For the lawyer, "
what the judge has just told us is that yes, the conditions are unworthy, and that anyone who enters this cell, whether two or three, will be exposed to inhuman and degrading treatment, but that he can do nothing
”.
“
While the Council of State notes a general problem, it refers to individual situations.
»
Small victory however, “
the administrative judge notes the indignity
”.
Which was however obvious according to the lawyer, because "
the situation in Gradignan is catastrophic
".
A July 13 report by the Controller General of Places of Deprivation of Liberty indeed reports inhuman conditions of detention in Gradignan prison, including cockroaches getting into the pockets of detainees and frequently spoiled food.
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"
We do not understand that following the multiple convictions of France before the
European Court of Human Rights
, the courts continue to have this reasoning and refuse to take their responsibilities
", regrets Matthieu Quinquis.
According to him, “
until everyone takes their individual responsibilities, the problem will not be solved.
The closure of this cell is a drop of water in the face of the immensity of the indignity of this establishment, but it is the one that can break the camel's back
”.
On December 5, 2022, despite a theoretical capacity of 352 places, the occupancy rate of the Gradignan penitentiary center was 190.91% and 206.56% in the men's section of the remand center, in the building A, where cell 625 is located. In all, 145 cells of the establishment are “
tripled
”, with the laying of a simple mattress on the floor for the third occupant.
