Each year in France, more than 200 people in custody lose their lives, either by suicide, illness, or for reasons that remain unclear. These deaths are often shrouded in secrecy by the Prison Administration, which does not always share detailed information with families. This lack of transparency has raised concerns among some relatives, who say it makes the mourning process more difficult. Inès, whose brother Azal died on September 27, 2025, inside the Fleury-Mérogis prison center, described how prison staff attempted to contact her mother but did not have her number. When they finally reached her, they did not ask if she was accompanied. Later that evening, Inès found her mother covered in bruises from self-inflicted injuries. During a visit to the cell with loved ones in December, Inès accused the prison staff of delivering the news in a cold and unfeeling manner. According to the 2025 annual report of the Contrôleur général des lieux de privation de liberté (CGLPL), approximately 250 people die in custody each year, with more than half of these deaths being suicides. The report also noted an increasing number of complaints about deaths in custody, with 11 in 2023, 15 in 2024, and about twenty in 2025. Dominique Simonnot from the CGLPL admitted that the Prison Administration often delays informing families about the death of a loved one. The International Prison Observatory French section (OIP-SF) has pointed out that while the Administration regularly publishes data on the prison population, it does not provide any information on deaths. In an opinion published in the Official Journal in September 2026, the CGLPL emphasized that death data is not consistently recorded or made public, which hinders efforts to fully understand the scale of deaths in custody. In an effort to address some of the challenges faced by prisoners, some prisons in France are testing virtual reality (VR) headsets for those in isolation. However, the effectiveness and ethical implications of such technology remain debated. Roch-Étienne Noto, a former nurse in custody, founded the Collective of Prison Deaths in 2006 as a tribute to those who have died in prison. Inspired by the death of a young man, he aims to raise public awareness about the issue. However, collecting accurate data is difficult, as media attention often focuses on suicides rather than other causes of death. Michel, from the Ban public association, warns that the number of suicides in prisons has been deliberately omitted from annual reports, suggesting an administrative and political choice to avoid addressing the issue. The family of Jawad Zaouiya, a 20-year-old who died in a fire in his cell in 1996, has long campaigned for justice. His father was informed of the death by phone, with the prison director claiming that Jawad did not suffer and had fallen into a coma. The family later filed a lawsuit and, with the support of the OIP-SF, obtained a condemnation for negligence. Inès, who lost her brother Azal to a seizure in his cell, is also taking legal action against the State. She found a video on Azal's phone where he expressed fear about his isolation. Since then, she has used social media to raise awareness. Similarly, Salah Zaouiya founded the FLIDD association (families fighting against insecurity and deaths in custody) to support other families. He travels across France to meet relatives of victims, but many report feeling abandoned, with no psychological support or guidance. The silence surrounding deaths in custody continues, leaving many families to navigate grief without proper support.