La révolte de la prison de Nancy. 15 janvier 1972

Title: La révolte de la prison de Nancy. 15 janvier 1972

Photographer(s): Gérard Drolc, Elie Kagan, Martine Franck

Writer(s): Philippe Artières

Designer(s): David Barriet, Susanna  Shannon

Publisher(s): Le Point du Jour Editeur, Paris, France

Year: 2013

Print run:

Language(s): French

Pages: 156

Size: 21 x 28 cm

Binding: Softcover

Edition:

Print: Castelli Bolis, Cenate Sotto, Italy

Nation(s) and year(s) of Protest: France,1972

ISBN: 9782912-132734

The riot of 15 January 1972 at Charles III Prison in Nancy was a major uprising in which inmates occupied the rooftops for several hours to protest against their conditions of detention, arbitrary disciplinary measures and excessively harsh sentences. This event left a deep mark on the history of the French prison system.

The prisoners complained that the sentences handed down by the Nancy Criminal Court earlier in the week were too harsh compared to those handed down later in the week, they called even for improvements to daily life, particularly the quality of the food, and easier access to the canteen, and at the end they called for greater fairness from prison officers and management, as well as an end to criminal supervision measures.

Intellectuals and activists such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Michel Foucault seized on the event to denounce the reality of the prison system.