France Overhauls Prison Security Following High-Profile Escape and Mobile Phone Smuggling Surge

On November 14, 2025, a 37-year-old inmate serving a one-year sentence for theft escaped from the Rennes prison during a supervised excursion to a planetarium. This event prompted swift governmental action, including the dismissal of the Rennes prison director. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin criticized the prison management for ignoring instructions that barred inmates with prior escape histories from participating in outside activities. The escape occurred around 6:30 PM while the inmate was in a group of six prisoners accompanied by three staff members. It highlighted serious lapses in oversight, especially since the inmate had a documented history of evasion.

In response to this incident and wider concerns about contraband smuggling, Darmanin announced a major security reform on November 21, 2025. He launched a "zero mobile phones" plan targeting six prisons—La Santé, Arras, Dijon, Toulouse, Toulon, and Rennes—which house over 5,500 inmates combined. The €29 million initiative aims to eradicate mobile phone presence in these prisons through the installation of advanced scanners and millimeter wave portals. The measure comes as mobile phones represent a significant security threat, with 80,000 phones seized in French prisons in 2024 alone.

The plan includes additional security enhancements, such as jamming systems costing between €4 and €5 million per facility, and measures to prevent mobile phones from being smuggled into outdoor exercise yards. Furthermore, to bolster prison staff and oversight capabilities, the Ministry of Justice plans to recruit 1,000 new prison guards in 2026, marking the largest hiring drive among all government administrations.

This reform wave follows a similar escape in January 2025, when a 28-year-old inmate fled during a museum visit from Villepinte prison but was captured a month later. Darmanin emphasized the need to balance inmate reintegration programs with stringent security procedures to prevent repeat offenses. These measures are partly inspired by Italy's anti-mafia laws aimed at limiting criminal networks' influence from behind bars.

In summary, the recent Rennes escape exposed critical flaws in inmate management and supervision, accelerating the French government's efforts to fortify prison security infrastructure and staffing. Minister Darmanin's decisive actions reflect a commitment to preventing smuggling, escapes, and ensuring that prisons maintain rigorous control over high-risk inmates while supporting rehabilitation efforts.