A party in the courtyard of Béziers prison: alcohol, drugs, music, cake… the prisoners' impromptu birthday sparks controversy

La vidéo de la fête d’anniversaire a été diffusée dimanche 21 juillet CAPTURE D'ÉCRAN

Une vidéo a circulé dimanche 21 juillet 2024 sur un réseau social très utilisé par les jeunes, tournée par des détenus à la prison de Béziers avec, comme titre : "Mon anniversaire en promenade, alcool, gateux (!)". Courte, mais intense.

It was Sunday July 21. On a social network widely used by young people, a video filmed in Béziers prison was circulating (since deleted) with the title : "My birthday on a walk, alcohol, cakey (!)". Short, but intense. There we saw around fifteen young inmates, some smoking weed, drinking what appears to be wine, sharing large birthday cakes, all to a background of rap music and big smiles. The village party!

Except that… The video ended up in the hands of Gasquinoy guards, who did not at all share the joy of the prisoners defying the ban. Since the telephone is absolutely prohibited in prison. And let's not talk about smartphones, connections, videos, publications, drugs, alcohol…

The Wrath of the Guardians

Angrily, David Parmentier, a guard at Gasquinoy and local Ufap secretary, blurted out: “No, it's not the title of a documentary film but that of a video posted on social media of a prisoner celebrating his birthday, a truly festive moment where alcohol flows freely.” To end by blurting out: “This illustrates a sad truth: While the prisoners are partying, it's the staff who are drinking. It is high time that our penitentiary center becomes a prison again and not the Club Med."

But how could such a video and its diffusion have been possible ?

"It's simple, today, inmates have everything delivered by drone, food, drugs, SIM cards, alcohol, telephone… And we still don’t have an anti-drone system. After asking for it for a very long time, we will finally install it but not before the end of the year. In the meantime, here's where we are. "

"A proliferation of overtime"

He then declines the grievances that the union brings to the hierarchy: "Meanwhile, we are faced with a proliferation of overtime, with incessant reminders – that is to say, days of rest removed to go to work –, a lack of staff, knowing that the prison is at – 25 supervisors on the organization chart. We have a big recruitment problem. It must be said that with everything that is happening, I understand that our profession is not attractive. Not to mention the low salaries: an agent starts at 1,600 euros; net per month. Of course, we have bonuses, which do not count towards retirement, for, for example, night work. But be aware that a night of 12 hours is paid 24 euros. net !"

The anger of the Gasquinoy guards, regular and incessant, is not about to end.

Disciplinary procedures have been initiated

At the request of Midi Libre, the Interregional Directorate of Prison Services of Toulouse, on which Béziers prison depends, reacted by press release, indicating: "The inmates involved in the video sequence broadcast on Sunday July 21 were identified at the Béziers penitentiary center. A search of 6 cells was quickly scheduled for night duty on the evening of Monday July 22, in the presence of Éris (regional intervention and security teams) and ELSP agents (local prison security teams) of the establishment. Several items prohibited in detention were found. Disciplinary procedures were immediately initiated for those detained, and a report was made to the public prosecutor's office for possible criminal prosecution."

Nothing is said about preventive actions to try to avoid such excesses.

"Yes, continues David Parmentier. The video was immediately deleted. There were excavations, etc. But I'm sure that the next day, the inmates had everything we recovered delivered to them."

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