Casabianda, the “most open” jail in France, nicknamed “the Club Med of pointers” | EUROtoday

SOn the winding street which runs alongside the japanese coast of the island, on the southern exit of Aleria (Upper Corsica), the junction would go virtually unnoticed. No signal signifies the path. Only an indication labeled “Ministry of Justice” on the finish of an avenue of aircraft bushes signifies regulated entry. It is tough, at first look, to think about that there’s a penitentiary middle like no different right here, within the coronary heart of this huge agricultural plain: Casabianda. The solely “open” jail in France. No surrounding partitions, nor the slightest barbed wire to dissuade those that dream of exhibiting off. Or go for a swim on the wonderful sand seashore which borders these splendid locations, the place prisoners can roam freely when they don’t seem to be working.

Here, kittens even wander among the many prisoners, a few of whom play pétanque or tennis, whereas others take plastic arts or music workshops. The solely constraint: the prisoners have to be current for roll name, a number of instances a day. “The detainees have a freedom of movement here that does not exist anywhere else,” says Philippe Franchini, delegate of the Corsican staff’ union (STC), who has labored on the middle for nearly three many years. They stay pretty freely and work inside the institution, with a view to getting ready for his or her reintegration. »

ALSO READ In Syria, Sednaya jail has develop into an emblem of Assad’s crimesIn this jail the place bars don’t exist, the brokers play extra of a task as supervisors than as supervisors. Prisoners more often than not have keys to their cells. They are paid to keep up and domesticate these 1,500 hectares of land, between olive rising, viticulture and elevating sheep and pigs…

Since its opening in 1948, Casabianda has operated on the mannequin of an agricultural property. Its merchandise are even bought in native companies and contribute to the native financial system. This jail, introduced as experimental virtually eighty years in the past, nevertheless, stays an exception within the French penitentiary world. It primarily accommodates intercourse offenders, who characterize two thirds of the prisoners. Which earned the institution the doubtful nickname of “Club Med of pointers.” »

Handpicked inmates

For a number of years, the middle has additionally acquired different prisoners, handpicked by the jail administration, to be able to relieve congestion within the two island remand facilities. Because in a jail system marked by overpopulation, the Corsican jail can also be an exception. It has roughly 120 inmates in 194 cells. “It is the only establishment in France to have around sixty empty cells, at a time when all the prisons are exploding,” observes Raphaël Barralini, regional worker-prison drive delegate. It is necessary to take into account that not all profiles correspond to one of these middle. They are assessed on a case-by-case foundation based mostly on their capacity to reintegrate, their jail historical past and their dangerousness. »

At a time when the French jail system is looking for to reinvent itself, Casabianda’s “model” has intrigued many political leaders wishing to rethink detention. In October 2023, the RN deputy for Bouches-du-Rhône, Romain Baudry, visited the location. At the tip of his go to, the parliamentarian revealed a really blended feeling concerning the “security defects” of this atypical middle open to the 4 winds. Five years earlier, in February 2018, the MP (Renaissance) for Yvelines, Yaël Braun-Pivet, present president of the National Assembly, additionally made the journey. At the pinnacle of a working group alleged to suggest different options to reform the French jail system, the Ile-de-France parliamentarian then defended the concept of ​​constructing “open” penitentiary institutions to accommodate brief sentences. With the target of incarcerating 10% of prisoners there.

At a time when the brand new Minister of Justice, Gérald Darmanin, is planning to create “human-sized prisons”, might Casabianda function a mannequin? Nothing is much less sure. “The idea is to increase prison capacities by creating establishments for short sentences, in addition to large prisons,” signifies the workplace of the Minister of Justice, contacted by The Point. This is an actual property topic, above all. The detention administration system can be similar. »

Cascading escapes

It should even be stated that, in recent times, incidents have tarnished Casabianda’s status. Since 2018, this middle has been the scene of 4 escapes. That 12 months, in August, an inmate convicted of “aggravated rape” disappeared from the institution. His physique was discovered two days later within the Urbino pond, about ten kilometers from the jail. Just a few weeks earlier, one other prisoner had proven off earlier than turning himself in to the authorities. Yet one other, in August, didn’t present up on the jail following a depart of absence. He was arrested just a few days later close to Saint-Étienne (Loire).

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Another escape then introduced discuss of the jail once more. In February 2022, a person in his fifties, of Polish origin, had not returned to jail. He was arrested by the gendarmes per week later within the neighboring city of Ghisonaccia. The reality stays that this enhance in escapes will not be with out stoking the fears of native elected officers, who deplore a type of silence from the authorities and people answerable for the middle.

“In the event of an incident, we are not notified even though we could alert our population,” factors out Anthony Alessandrini, the PRG mayor of Antisanti (Haute-Corse). There are only a few connections with the mayors, who’re nonetheless judicial cops within the territory. Without making us collaborators of justice, we should always construct a relationship of belief, a minimum of to tell our residents and reassure them, when sure harmful profiles are on the market. It is sort of paradoxical that an open jail is indifferent from its atmosphere. » An indication that Casabianda’s “model” maybe additionally must reinvent itself.