History of the prison:
The house arrest of Clermont-Ferrand has been commissioned in the early nineteenth century buildings in a former convent dating from the sixteenth century. It is located downtown and adjacent to City Hall. The narrow streets and lack of parking makes access difficult. A remand the accused receives (prisoners awaiting trial), and convicts whose remaining sentence does not, in principle, u n year during their final sentence . The property is located within the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeal of Riom and the Tribunal de Grande Instance (TGI) of Clermont-Ferrand. The capacity of this facility is 86 spaces, it includes a major area for men.
other hand, the historical perspective Prison Clermont-Ferrand played a significant role since it was a prison used to detain political enemies of the Vichy regime. For example, Jean Zay, who was arrested Aug. 16, 1940 in Casablanca (case Massilia , French ship carrying members wishing to continue the battle by taking refuge in North Africa but arrested by the Vichy authorities), was transferred to Clermont-Ferrand where he was held for the duration of his trial before a military tribunal. After a quick investigation and a five-week trial debatable, Jean Zay was finally sentenced October 4 1940, deportation and military degradation. However, his sentence was commuted to a sentence of four years in prison. In total, there will be four months in Clermont-Ferrand before being transferred to Marseille Fort Saint Nicolas and Riom in prison January 7, 1941 (see article). One can also cite the case of Pierre Mendes France, another protagonist of the case Massilia Zay and judged in Clermont-Ferrand, who was also detained in the city jail. ( source: www.aegir.cndp.fr )
The steamer Massilia
An ancient heritage which today poses many problems.
While prison Clermont-Ferrand is certainly interesting from the point of view heritage as well as examples of religious architecture of the sixteenth century as evidence of the history of the Second World War and the Vichy regime. However, this seniority is also a problem for the daily life of prisoners. The state of disrepair of the building is a recurring theme in the local press, various cases are regularly fed this column, here's an example:
S held ept the house arrest of Clermont seized on Friday, the European Court of Human Rights on their conditions of detention.
In a cell of the prison, natural light has little room to penetrate. A row of neon sizzling tries to compensate for this lack of natural light.
The floor is, exactly, of 14.15 m: it was measured in July 2008, by a qualified architect appointed by the High Court of Clermont-Ferrand.
This procedure followed a series of complaints (seven total) filed by detainees at the prison. All denounced the "inhumane conditions" of their incarceration.
3.53 m² per prisoner
Four prisoners are crammed into every cell of 14 square meters of the prison. "This represents 3.53 m² per prisoner," said Mr. Chautard, counsel for the plaintiffs. "However, European standards set the minimum to 7 m² per prisoner," Me Kiganga completed, another lawyer with the lawyers' union in France (SAF).
At that chronic overcrowding add a lamentable state of dilapidation and squalor. "Lack of hot water and ventilation, toilets without glasses, not fully enclosed in the room where meals are eaten? ': Report the expert architect is overwhelming. But the complaints have not resulted in criminal (*).
Complaints not taken into account
A similar procedure, initiated by advocates of Rouen, has indeed faced a decision of the Court of Cassation. Decided January 20, 2009, it stipulates that "the allegations by a former inmate can not admit any criminal offense."
Contesting the ruling, three Bar Council of Clermont (My Chautard, skilled and Kiganga) filed on Friday an application before the European Court of Human Rights. They ask him to note that France violated the European Convention.
A new facility desired ... but no plans
Denis Perrin, Director Inter Rhone-Alpes \\ Auvergne prison administration, provides that "everyone is aware of the need for a new facility."
But nothing is budgeted in the five-year plan which runs until 2012. And the next? Friday, he declared that "no formal adjudication has yet been made. "
(*) Three inmates have also already received compensation before the Administrative Court of Clermont.
Yves Le Faou
Article published in the daily La Montagne Monday, July 6, 2009
Therefore, the remand of Clermont-Ferrand underlines the complicated coexistence of the constraints imposed by the ancient monument and the demands of its current role. On the other hand, if the establishment is concerned in 2012, as mentioned in the article above, a project to construct a new building, so we'll probably see the emergence of the same debates around the theme of destruction, heritage enhancement or conversion. This shows that the issue of prison heritage may yet lead to new fields of reflection.
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