France's Prison Population Decreases by 11,500 Inmates Due to COVID-19 - Justice Minister

PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th April, 2020) The number of inmates in French prisons decreased by 11,500 amid the coronavirus outbreak, Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet said on Wednesday.

The French prison population decreased because the overall crime level declined due to the lockdown. Moreover, the authorities have released 5,300 detainees who had no more than 2 months left to serve.

"As of April 23, we count 61,000 inmates for a prison capacity of 61,109. Prison population decreased by 11,500 people since March 16," Belloubet told the Monde newspaper.

She added that the decline is still ongoing and that the occupancy rate is now below 100 percent.

Before the coronavirus-related measures were in force, France had around 72,000 inmates for a capacity of 61,109, which represented a historic-high occupancy rate of 119 percent.