The author, a magistrate with the Directorate of Prison Administration, provides a statistical overview of the prison population in France: trends in the number of inmates, age, nationality, and offenses committed. A few figures provide an overview of the prison system, highlighting overcrowding in facilities and insufficient staff-to-inmate ratios. Data on hunger strikes, self-harm, suicide attempts, and suicides reveal the inmates’ grievances regarding their living conditions. Information on the most common health issues rounds out this description.