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Walls several meters high, cells under constant surveillance, bulletproof glass partitions separating visitors from prisoners: In Vanden le Vieux, a small town 200 kilometers north of Paris, France’s first officially declared maximum security prison began operating last week. Even the army was called in to help transfer some particularly dangerous prisoners to the new cells.
Vanden le Veuve, with its 450 video cameras, is intended to become a kind of nucleus for the fight against organized crime and is part of a broader reform that is stepping up the country’s crackdown on drug crime. The aim is to completely cut off communication with the outside world for particularly dangerous leaders of criminal networks. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin called the project “a radical change in the prison system.”
France in the war on drugs
The country is facing a serious security problem: in cities such as Marseille, Toulouse, or in the suburbs of Paris, but also in smaller rural towns, drug gang conflicts are escalating. Public prosecutors warn that the situation could spiral out of control. Teenagers are increasingly being used as couriers or hired killers, usually recruited via social media.
Journalist and author Jean-Marie Magro has been investigating organized crime in Marseille. “There are neighborhoods in the north of the city where the drug gang war that the prosecutor’s office is talking about is very real,” he told DW. “You can see this, for example, in the checkpoints that young people set up on the streets.”
There, he says, the normalization of violence is clearly felt. Statistics confirm this picture: in 2024, 367 cases of murder or attempted murder in the drug milieu were recorded in France, with 110 dead and 341 injured. About a quarter of the perpetrators were under 20 years old.
Inhumane conditions in prisons?
France is one of the countries with the most overcrowded prisons in Western Europe. There are more than 180 of them, and in some cases the occupancy rate exceeds 150 percent. The European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly condemned France for “inhumane prison conditions.” Many prisons are not only overcrowded, but also old and damp. Mold, rats, and cockroaches are common.
But there are also clearly major security problems. Criminal network leaders continue to manage their affairs from behind bars — via mobile phones planted by drones, through intermediaries among lawyers, or corrupt staff.
During the spring of this year, violence reached a new level: in several French cities, armed groups attacked prisons with automatic weapons — apparently with the aim of intimidating rival prisoners and putting pressure on the judiciary.
Vendan le Veuil: maximum control prison
The new prison in Vendan-le-Vieux, in the northern region near the Belgian border, is designed to hold around 100 prisoners and is considered the most secure in France. The architecture and organization are inspired by the infamous American “supermax” prisons and the Italian “carcere duro” model (hard prison).
Prisoners are kept in solitary confinement and have only one hour a day to walk – in small groups and under strict supervision. Their communication is severely limited: phone calls twice a week for two hours. After each visit, prisoners must completely undress to be systematically searched. The aim is to prevent any control of criminal networks from the prison.
Plans for a prison in the rainforest
On the northern coast of South America, in the French overseas territory of Guiana, Paris is planning to build another maximum-security prison for 500 criminals. The planned location is in the rainforest, near the historic “Devil’s Island” – known until 1938 for its colonial prison system, and world-famous for the novel “The Butterfly” by Henri Charrier.
Justice Minister Darmanin speaks of the need to “permanently remove” leaders of criminal networks from the territory of their home country. Human rights groups and the opposition warn of the creation of a “French Guantanamo”.
High price for greater security
Prison projects are expensive: with around 250 guards for 100 prisoners in Vanden de Vij, in addition to the high construction costs, maintenance costs also significantly exceed those of conventional prisons. The usefulness of this approach remains controversial. Critics warn of the possible long-term psychological consequences of isolation. Technical solutions such as mobile phone jamming, drone defense systems and more frequent cell checks are better alternatives for many.
But the reality is not pleasant: the drug trade continues to flourish. In 2024, 47 tons of cocaine were seized in France — more than double the previous year. While many dealers come from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, often with a migrant background, users are present in all social classes.
A special European path
Compared to other European countries, France is going its own way with its new maximum security regime. While Germany or the Netherlands use high-security cells and intensive surveillance but do not cut off contact with the outside world, France now relies on the most restrictive models in the world. The government defends this strategy by citing around 600 identified extreme cases in prisons where normal measures have failed.
The media coverage of this project also fits into a broader political calculation: Justice Minister Darmanen is considered a possible conservative candidate in the 2027 presidential election. Maximum security prisons also represent a message to a growing number of voters who expect a more decisive state response to violence and organized crime.
Source – Deutsche Welle
