Crime & justice

France Plans High-Security Prison in French Guiana for 2028

MAY 19 2025·Updated MAY 20 2025

Story

Above: France's Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin (C) visits the Remire-Montjoly prison as part of his official trip in French Guiana on May 19, 2025. Image credit: RONAN LIETAR/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images

The Facts

France's Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin announced plans on Sunday to build a €400 million ($451 million) high-security prison deep in the jungle of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, French Guiana, scheduled to open in 2028. The project aims to combat organized crime in the region.
France 24
CNN
The prison will accommodate 500 inmates and include a specialized wing with 60 cells for high-profile drug traffickers and 15 for convicted so-called Islamist radicals, operating under what Darmanin described as an "extremely strict carceral regime."
BBC News
South China Morning Post
French Guiana, an overseas territory of France located on South America's northeastern coast bordering Brazil and Suriname, serves as a major transit hub for cocaine trafficking to Europe, often via drug mules who board commercial flights from Cayenne.
CNN
The St Kitts Nevis Observer
The facility's remote jungle location is intended to sever connections between drug lords and their networks. By placing them "at the beginning of the drug trail — and out of reach," Darmanin said, the prison aims to disrupt criminal operations at their source.
The St Kitts Nevis Observer
BBC News
Darmanin also stated that the new prison aims to address overcrowding in French Guiana’s prisons and respond to the region’s growing crime, with a homicide rate of 18.4 per 100,000 people, compared to mainland France's 1.2. The facility will also house a court.
CNN
Agenzia Nova
The site's selection near Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni carries historical significance as it was formerly the arrival point for convicts at the notorious Devil's Island penal colony, which operated until 1953.
The Times (UK)
BBC News
Historytools

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

A remote supermax prison deep in the Amazon of French Guiana isn’t just symbolic — it's smart. France is learning that real isolation, not just iron bars, is key to cutting off drug kingpins and gang leaders who still command from their cells. By targeting them at their source and placing them far from their networks, this prison offers a level of security and control that current facilities lack, ensuring these criminals can no longer exert influence from within the system.

The St Kitts Nevis Observer

The Times (UK)

Narrative B

The new prison in French Guiana is a troubling step backward, reviving the dark legacy of colonial-era penal colonies. Rather than focusing on the region's real needs — like schools, infrastructure, and social investment — France is once again treating French Guiana as a regressive dumping ground for its most dangerous criminals. This project not only perpetuates harmful stereotypes but also risks violating inmates' fundamental rights to family contact and proper legal defense.