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Possibly France’s most notorious jail, La Santé – where ex-president of France Nicolas Sarkozy has started a five year jail term for criminal conspiracy to obtain election financing from the Libyan government – is the sole surviving prison inside the Paris city limits.

Situated in the south part of Montparnasse district of the capital, it was inaugurated in 1867 and was the site of no fewer than 40 executions, the most recent in 1972. Partly shut down for upgrades in 2014, the prison resumed operations five years later and accommodates over 1,100 detainees.

Famous former detainees include the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, the rogue trader Jérôme Kerviel, the public servant and Nazi collaborator Maurice Papon, the entrepreneur and political figure Bernard Tapie, the 70s terrorist Carlos the Jackal, and talent scout Jean-Luc Brunel.

VIP Quarters for Notable Inmates

Notable or at-risk inmates are generally placed in the jail’s QB4 unit for “protected persons” – the so-called “premium block” – in individual cells, not the standard triple-occupancy rooms, and separated during outdoor activities for security reasons.

Located on the ground floor, the unit has a set of uniform rooms and a dedicated outdoor space so prisoners are not required to mix with fellow inmates – although they continue to be exposed to calls, insults and cellphone pictures from nearby cells.

Mostly for such concerns, Sarkozy is expected to be placed in the solitary confinement unit, which is in a isolated area. In reality, the environment are very similar as in the protected unit: the former president will be by himself in his cell and supervised by a corrections officer every time he goes out.

“The aim is to avert any issues at all, so we have to block him from coming into contact with other prisoners,” a prison source stated. “The easiest and best method is to assign Nicolas Sarkozy directly to solitary confinement.”

Cell Conditions

Each of the solitary and protected units are similar to those in other parts in the jail, measuring around 10 sq metres, with coverings on windows designed to restrict interaction, a sleeping cot, a small desk, a shower, lavatory, and stationary phone with pre-set numbers.

Sarkozy will be served regular meals but will also have the option to the canteen, where he can acquire groceries to make his own meals, as well as to a private recreation area, a exercise room and the prison library. He can pay for a refrigerator for seven euros fifty a per month and a television for €14.15.

Restricted Visits

Apart from three allowed visits a each week, he will primarily be alone – a luxury in La Santé, which despite its modernization is operating at approximately twice its planned occupancy of 657 detainees. The country's jails are the third most packed in the EU.

Personal Belongings

Sarkozy, who has consistently maintained his innocence, has stated he will be bringing with him a account of Jesus and a edition of The Count of Monte Cristo, by the author Alexandre Dumas, in which an innocent man is sentenced to jail but escapes to seek vengeance.

Sarkozy’s attorney, Jean-Michel Darrois, said he was also bringing noise blockers because the facility can be noisy at during the night, and several sweaters, because rooms can be cold. Sarkozy has commented he is fearless of being in jail and aims to utilize the time to write a manuscript.

Uncertain Duration

It remains uncertain, however, the length of time he will really be housed in La Santé: his lawyers have submitted for his conditional release, and an appeals judge will have to prove a potential of flight, further crimes or interfering with witnesses to validate his continued detention.

France's legal experts have suggested he may be freed before a month passes.