The French love to celebrate American shortcomings. Ah, but French derelictions...monsieur, such things must be studied diligently.

CELLS AT FRANCE'S PALAIS DE JUSTICE CONDEMNED
AS 'SQUALID AND INHUMANE DUNGEONS'

PARIS October 10, 2005 (Telegraph) - Alvaro Gil-Robles said the cells in the historic Palais de Justice in Paris were squalid and inhumane.

Describing them as "dungeons", he said: "It is incredible that people are imprisoned in such conditions, without ventilation and without natural light. I have never seen a worse prison." Mr Gil-Robles, 60, an academic lawyer and Spain's former national ombudsman, spent 16 days in France last month inspecting prisons, detention centres and mental hospitals.

The palais is situated on the beautiful L'île de la Cité, a few hundred yards from Notre Dame cathedral. But in its "dépôt", human rights organisations have uncovered evidence of prisoners, mainly illegal immigrants, going without food, drink and lavatory paper as they huddle together for warmth. There have been numerous violent attacks and cases of detainees mutilating themselves and smearing their blood on the walls.

"You are drowned in the middle of all of those excluded from society and also the mad and the ill," said 55-year-old Farouk, a former prisoner.

Jean-Pierre Dintilhac, a former public prosecutor, said: "The basement of the palais dates from another age."

The interior ministry said that Mr Gil-Robles's findings would be studied diligently.

But, monsieur, Abu Ghraib. Abu Ghraib! (Pause.) Monsieur wears a very nice cravat, what's that go for, stateside? (Long pause.) Excusez-moi. (Wanders off.)

PFFT (What is this?): Preserving historical Paris and Republican tradition 5 | Rayonnement français 0

Forget Abu Grahib, it's too easy.

With 7 times more prisoners per capita than in France and the largest incarceration rate in the industrialized world (2 million, surpassing Russia's), your prisons kick our prisons' ass.

Yet American prisons lack the distinction of the EU Commissioner For Human Rights Of The Council Of Europe condemning them as "squalid and inhumane dungeons", the worst he's ever seen.

One might have expected a more thoughtful response from a Frenchman. But why should he care? Most of the incarcerated are less than French. Which is why the Palais de Justice is maintained like a human sewer in the first place.

It's all about being French.

DGB

Again, Saint Damian doesn't like facts.

And I suppose he knows everything about every US prison too.

The criminals aren't in prison - Russia's criminals are running loose in the streets, and France's are running the country.

But perhaps our prison population is seven times higher because France's prison suicide rate is seven times the public average? It could also have a little something to do with an urban culture that celebrates crime, and commits a wildly disproportionate amount of it.