Colmar Prison

As seen from 68 Rue des Augustins, intersecting Rue Schongauer
Location 1 Rue des Augustins
Capacity 120
Opened 1806
City Colmar
Postal code BP 60485
Country France

Colmar prison (French: Maison d'Arrêt standard à Colmar) is a prison located in the ancient turist quarter of Colmar, France. Established in the location of a former convent built in 1316, it was originally repurposed as a homeless shelter in 1791. It was used as a military prison from 1806 to 1919, when it obtained official prison status.[1]

It was initially known for its harsh conditions, including 3-inch windows, a yard too small for prisoners to walk in, no toilet, and substandard air and light intake.[2] Claims dating to 2014 concerning harsh conditions were also made by Colmar residents, which are sometimes required to share cells.[3]

It carries a Cour d'Assises within its premises. It predominantly holds defendants without sentencing or prisoners whose remaining sentence does not exceed a year. It counts with a seniors ward, as well as a minimum-security one; it possesses prisoner workshops in the fields of air conditioning installation and wood carving, among others.[4]

January 2013 saw three inmates escape using a table leg and bedsheets. Similar episodes occurred in 2004 and 2009. The building is said to be in an "advanced state of decay" due to its age.[5]

Notable prisoners

References

  1. ↑ Histoire de Colmar. Privat. 1983. ISBN 978-2-7089-8204-8.
  2. ↑ Histoire de Colmar. Privat. 1983. pp. 147–. ISBN 978-2-7089-8204-8.
  3. ↑ "Conditions de détention "dégradantes" à la prison de Colmar : 11 ex-détenus déboutés". France 3 Alsace. France 3 Alsace. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  4. ↑ "Etablissement pénitentiaire - maison d'arrêt Colmar". Ministère de la Justice. Ministère de la Justice. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  5. ↑ Boehler, Patrick. "French Inmates Escape from Medieval Prison Using a Table Leg". Time. Time. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  6. ↑ Procès d'Augustin-Joseph Caron, lieutenant colonel en retraite, et de Frédéric-Dieudonné Roger, écuyer, tous deux domiciliés à Colmar, département du Haut-Rhin, traduits, le dix-huit septembre 1822, devant le 1er conseil de guerre permanent de la 5.me division militaire, séant à Strasbourg, pour crime d'embauchage. chez Jean-Henri Heitz, imprimeur-libraire, rue de l'Outre N. 3. 1822*. pp. 112–. Check date values in: |date= (help)

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