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Cartoonist Mathieu Sapin has released a new graphic novel titled En liberté, which documents his year-long immersion into the French prison system. The work follows the teams of the Contrôleure générale des lieux de privation de liberté, led by Dominique Simonnot, as they inspect detention centers and psychiatric facilities across the country.
Throughout the project, Sapin observed conditions including overcrowding, understaffing among prison guards, and poor sanitation. In one instance, while visiting a suburban police station, the cartoonist documented unsanitary conditions in holding cells, noting blocked toilets and infrequent cleaning schedules. When questioned about the maintenance, a police lieutenant stated that the facilities are cleaned once a month, while another officer suggested that the detainees were responsible for the state of their surroundings.
The graphic novel serves as a visual account of the work performed by the Contrôleure générale, an office tasked with monitoring the living conditions of more than 166,000 people held in various forms of state custody. Sapin’s illustrations aim to capture the daily realities of these environments and the challenges faced by those overseeing them.
The report on Sapin’s work was originally published in issue 5523 of Le Canard enchaîné.
Article and image source: lecanardenchaine.fr
