Heatwave makes conditions 'inhumane', say inmates at overcrowded Paris suburb prison

Villepinte prison outside Paris held 1,332 inmates against an official capacity of 703 during a Friday visit. Cells measure nine square metres, and overcrowding leads to three detainees sharing in much of the building. Nearly 200 prisoners sleep on mattresses on the floor or on makeshift bed frames. Inmates reported night heat, mosquito entry despite improvised protection, and faster rising tensions. A young prisoner collapsed in the yard and was returned in a wheelchair. France recorded 88,654 inmates as of May 1, while the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture warned severe overcrowding may violate fundamental rights and constitute inhuman or degrading treatment.

"Inmates at the overcrowded Villepinte prison outside Paris say enduring a heatwave that has stifled France in recent days in cramped cells is "inhumane"."

Read at The Local France