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Possibly France’s most notorious jail, the La Santé prison – in which former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has started a five year jail term for unlawful collusion to raise campaign funds from Libya – stands as the sole surviving prison within the Paris city limits.

Situated in the south part of Montparnasse area of the city, it first opened in the year 1867 and was the site of at least 40 capital punishments, the final one in 1972. Partially closed for upgrades in 2014, the facility reopened half a decade later and accommodates over 1,100 prisoners.

Renowned past inmates include the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the unauthorized trader Jérôme Kerviel, the civil servant and collaborator with the Nazis Maurice Papon, the tycoon and political figure Bernard Tapie, the militant from the seventies Carlos the Jackal, and modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel.

Special Treatment for High-Profile Inmates

Prominent or endangered prisoners are generally accommodated in the prison's QB4 unit for “individuals at risk” – the dubbed “VIP quarters” – in individual cells, not the typical triple-occupancy rooms, and kept alone during outdoor activities for safety concerns.

Situated on the initial level, the section has a set of uniform rooms and a private exercise yard so prisoners are not required to mingle with fellow inmates – although they continue to be exposed to whistles, insults and cellphone pictures from adjacent cells.

Mostly for that reason, Sarkozy will reportedly be held in the solitary confinement unit, which is in a distinct block. Actually, the environment are very similar as in QB4: the former president will be by himself in his room and accompanied by a guard each time he exits.

“The aim is to prevent any problems at all, so we must prevent him from coming into contact with other prisoners,” an insider stated. “The easiest and most effective method is to place Nicolas Sarkozy immediately to solitary confinement.”

Cell Conditions

Both solitary and VIP cells are identical to those elsewhere in the jail, roughly about eleven square meters, with coverings on windows designed to limit contact, a sleeping cot, a compact desk, a shower, WC, and stationary phone with pre-set numbers.

Sarkozy will receive typical prison food but will also have access to the canteen, where he can purchase groceries to make his own meals, as well as to a individual outdoor space, a gym and the library. He can lease a fridge for seven euros fifty a monthly and a television for 14.15 euros.

Limited Social Contact

Besides three authorized meetings a week, he will mainly be by himself – a privilege in the prison, which despite its recent upgrades is functioning at about twice its planned occupancy of 657 detainees. The country's prisons are the third most congested in the European Union.

Prison Supplies

Sarkozy, who has consistently protested his innocence, has stated he will be carrying with him a account of Jesus and a version of The Count of Monte Cristo, by the author Alexandre Dumas, in which an innocent man is sentenced to jail but breaks out to take revenge.

Sarkozy’s attorney, Jean-Michel Darrois, said he was also bringing noise blockers because prison can be disruptive at during the night, and a few jumpers, because rooms can be chilly. Sarkozy has commented he is not scared of being in prison and plans to make use of the period to author a publication.

Possible Early Release

The duration is unknown, though, how long he will actually remain in the facility: his legal team have lodged for his premature release, and an reviewing judge will must establish a risk of absconding, repeat offenses or interfering with witnesses to validate his further imprisonment.

French law specialists have indicated he might be released within a month.