She suffers from a "permanent and endemic state of indignity," according to the International Prison Observatory (OIP). The administrative court of Cergy-Pontoise ordered the Minister of Justice to proceed "without delay" to the restoration of the prison of Nanterre. The judge on Friday asked the Minister of Justice to "repair all the air vents identified as defective", as well as "all the repairs identified as necessary during the electrical audit, in particular with regard to the bare electrical wires" and this, "to stop any danger to the safety of detainees".
The International Observatory of Prisons (OIP), the Association of Lawyers for the Defense of the Rights of Detainees (A3D) and the Bar Association of Hauts-de-Seine, which had seized the court at the beginning of June, have in fact partially won their case. Other requests such as, among others, the repair of all the defective windows and "the repair necessary to allow the premises to be adequately heated in all parts of the establishment", were rejected by the judge hearing the application for interim measures.
A "victory"
"How many times will we have to seize the administrative jurisdiction for the State to respect its decisions?" responded Fabien Arakelian, vice-president of Hauts-de-Seine, who welcomes a "victory". "I will not fail to return to the prison to monitor the progress of the work and compliance with the court decision," he added.
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Me Juliette Chapelle, president of the A3D, stressed that "this is not the first decision in this direction". "Moreover, on heating, for example, the judge considers that it is not a need at the beginning of the summer. Obviously, the question will quickly arise again, "she noted.
The administrative court of Cergy-Pontoise had already ordered on December 2 the Ministry of Justice and the prison administration to take eight immediate measures to improve detention in this establishment. A few months later, in March, the Hauts-de-Seine Bar denounced the still "overwhelming" state of this prison in a visit report, despite the measures ordered by the administrative justice.
The Nanterre prison held 967 persons for 597 places on 1 April, an occupancy rate of 162%, according to the applicants.