Archive · 28 Nov 2025
Prisoners Escape French Jail Using Bed Sheets
Two prisoners in France escaped from an old and overcrowded jail.
They used old saw blades to cut through the bars of their cell and then climbed down using bed sheets.
The jail is very crowded, with more than 300 prisoners in a place meant for only 180.
The prisoners were a 19-year-old held for attempted murder and a 32-year-old held for threats and violence.
The jail's poor conditions and lack of staff have been a concern for a long time.
The justice minister has been criticized for focusing too much on new high-security prisons and not enough on regular ones.
The prison director was fired after the escape.
Two prisoners escaped from Dijon prison in France by sawing through bars and using bed sheets.
The escape was facilitated by the prison's poor conditions and overcrowding, with 311 inmates in a facility designed for 180.
The prisoners were a 19-year-old held for attempted murder and a 32-year-old held for threats and violence.
Prison staff had previously warned about the risk of escape due to old saw blades found inside the prison.
The justice minister was criticized for neglecting regular prisons in favor of new supermax prisons for dangerous criminals.
- Who
- Two prisoners, a 19-year-old and a 32-year-old, escaped from Dijon prison in France.
- What
- The prisoners sawed through the bars of their cell and used bed sheets to escape.
- When
- The escape occurred shortly before dawn on a Thursday.
- Where
- The escape took place at Dijon prison in eastern France.
- Why
- The prisoners used manual saw blades to cut through the bars, exploiting poor prison conditions and overcrowding.
- Location
- Dijon, France
- Prison Age
- 1853
- Inmate Capacity
- 180
- Current Inmates
- 311
- Funding for Dijon
- 6.3 million euros
- Prison Overcrowding Rank
- 3rd worst in Europe
- National Inmate Rate
- 135 inmates per 100 places
- Dijon Inmate Rate
- 173 inmates per 100 beds
