Three guards were injured in a violent clash with inmates at an overcrowded French prison, highlighting ongoing safety concerns.
Prison incident injures three guards
An incident at Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone prison escalated on Sunday, October 25, around 7:15 a.m., when three guards were injured during a morning roll call and while opening a cell on the second floor of building A, according to the Ufap Unsa Justice union. Inmates attacked guards with objects
Upon arrival, staff reportedly found a fight among the three occupants of the cell. Two of the inmates then directed their aggression toward the guards, throwing objects such as a cooking plate, a table, and glasses. Glass shards used as threats
The union stated that the inmates also used glass shards to threaten the staff. The intervention was described as particularly difficult to control by the union, resulting in three injured guards with bruises. Two inmates placed in disciplinary quarter
The two inmates involved, aged 28 and 30, were placed temporarily in the disciplinary quarter. Prison overcrowded beyond capacity
According to Ufap Unsa Justice, the prison currently houses more than 1,100 inmates for a capacity of 587 places, with 230 mattresses installed on the floor. The union highlighted that this incident illustrates the consequences of overcrowding in the facility. Overcrowding worsens tensions and safety
It questioned how the safety of staff can be guaranteed in such conditions and argued that overcrowding exacerbates tensions between inmates and degrades the working conditions of staff, who are facing increasingly difficult interventions. Union criticizes prison administration
The union also condemned the lack of support from the prison administration, accusing it of abandoning its staff. Supporting the three injured guards, Ufap Unsa Justice demands the transfer of the two inmates involved in the violence to another prison facility.
