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Possibly the nation's most notorious jail, the La Santé prison – where former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is now serving a five-year jail term for illegal conspiracy to obtain political donations from the Libyan government – remains the sole surviving prison inside the Paris city limits.

Situated in the south part of Montparnasse neighborhood of the capital, it first opened in 1867 and was the scene of at least 40 executions, the most recent in 1972. Partly shut down for renovation in 2014, the institution reopened five years later and houses over 1,100 inmates.

Renowned ex- detainees comprise poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the financial trader Jérôme Kerviel, the civil servant and wartime collaborator Maurice Papon, the businessman and politician Bernard Tapie, the terrorist from the 1970s Carlos the Jackal, and model agent Jean-Luc Brunel.

VIP Quarters for High-Profile Inmates

Prominent or at-risk detainees are usually accommodated in the jail’s QB4 ward for “protected persons” – the so-called “VIP quarters” – in single cells, not the standard three-person cells, and kept alone during outdoor activities for protection purposes.

Located on the ground floor, the ward has a set of uniform cells and a reserved exercise yard so detainees are not forced to mix with other detainees – although they remain exposed to shouts, taunts and mobile snapshots from neighboring units.

Mainly for this reason, Sarkozy is expected to be placed in the segregated section, which is in a distinct block. In reality, circumstances are much the same as in the protected unit: the past leader will be alone in his room and supervised by a corrections officer whenever he leaves it.

“The objective is to avoid any issues at all, so we must stop him from encountering any inmates,” an insider commented. “The simplest and most effective approach is to place Nicolas Sarkozy immediately to isolation.”

Cell Conditions

Each of the solitary and protected units are the same to those elsewhere in the institution, roughly around 10 sq metres, with coverings on windows designed to reduce contact, a sleeping cot, a small desk, a shower, lavatory, and fixed-line phone with authorized contacts only.

Sarkozy is provided with standard meals but will also have the option to the prison store, where he can acquire food to prepare himself, as well as to a small solitary exercise yard, a exercise room and the prison library. He can pay for a fridge for €7.50 a month and a television set for fourteen euros fifteen.

Controlled Interactions

Besides three authorized meetings a each week, he will mostly be on his own – a luxury in La Santé, which in spite of its recent upgrades is functioning at roughly double its intended capacity of 657 detainees. The country's jails are the third most congested in the European Union.

Items Brought

Sarkozy, who has repeatedly asserted his non-guilt, has declared he will be bringing with him a biography of Jesus Christ and a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo, by the author Alexandre Dumas, in which an falsely convicted person is given a sentence to jail but breaks out to take revenge.

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Jean-Michel Darrois, said he was also packing noise blockers because the jail can be disruptive at night, and multiple sweaters, because units can be cool. Sarkozy has said he is not scared of being in jail and plans to make use of the period to author a publication.

Uncertain Duration

It remains uncertain, however, how long he will actually stay in the prison: his legal team have lodged for his early release, and an judge on appeal will need to demonstrate a risk of escaping, further crimes or influencing testimony to justify his ongoing incarceration.

France's law specialists have suggested he could be out in less than a month.