The 211 inmates from Basse-Terre prison were transferred on Sunday to a new modern facility in the heart of Guadeloupe's capital. This operation, backed by extensive security measures, aims to enhance living conditions for prisoners and working conditions for guards. The old, dilapidated prison will be demolished for reconstruction by 2028.
The Basse-Terre detention center, housed in a 17th-century former convent-hospital converted into a prison at the end of the 18th century, was notoriously known for its appalling detention conditions, overcrowding, and rising violence. In July 2016, Jean-Jacques Urvoas, then Justice Minister, described it as a «bagne» when announcing the new facility's construction.
The transfer operation, carried out on Sunday, November 16, 2025, involved police, gendarmes, firefighters, prosecutors, and prison staff from Guadeloupe and Martinique. The neighborhood was cordoned off for security. Inmates were moved to a «new modern structure equipped with the latest security technologies», which «will provide better living conditions» for prisoners «and better working conditions» for guards, according to the Guadeloupe prefecture.
In July, guards staged a «dead prison» operation over concerns about future conditions. «We were heard on part of the staffing shortage: the team was reinforced by six people, out of the dozen or so we need», said Frantz Sapor, local secretary of the Ufap-Unsa Justice union, to AFP. In the old facility, up to 16 inmates shared a dormitory; the new one, with 100 spots, plans for two per cell despite over 200 inmates.
Prison overcrowding remains a persistent issue in Guadeloupe, highlighted by unions and the International Prison Observatory, also affecting the Baie-Mahault penitentiary center at 149% occupancy. The old Basse-Terre prison will be demolished and rebuilt to offer 300 places by 2028, while Baie-Mahault is expanding.