Luxembourg refuses to accept prisoners from France

France is once again discussing the possibility of renting prison places abroad: on 1 April 2025, the number of prisoners in the country reached 82,921 against an official capacity of 62,358. This chronic overcrowding is once again forcing the French authorities to look for unconventional solutions, including sending prisoners to other European countries. But Luxembourg is not an option, despite the space available.

With the opening of the new 221-bed prison centre in Uerschterhaff in 2022, the country theoretically has up to 1,000 prison places, including 600 in Schrassig, 113 in Givenich and 30 in the UNISEC juvenile detention centre. However, the Ministry of Justice states bluntly: there is no possibility to accommodate foreign prisoners.

Why? Because theoretical capacity ≠ real capacity. As of 15 May 2025, the prison system was 69.2% loaded, and the average annual capacity was 62.6%. But this is only an appearance. Real capacity is lower, because it must be accounted for:

• isolation of accomplices in criminal cases,
• special conditions of detention for mentally unstable, juvenile, elderly and vulnerable prisoners,
• reserve seats in case of emergencies.

In addition, modernisation work is underway in Schrassig and some cells are not in use. In such conditions, the Prison Service Administration emphasises, it is simply not possible to accommodate foreign prisoners.

What about in other countries?

There are precedents. Denmark signed a deal with Kosovo: from 2027, 300 Danish prisoners will serve time in a Kosovo prison - a €200 million contract for 10 years. And in the Netherlands, in Tilburg, 650 Belgian prisoners were held until 2016 - the agreement also concerned the overloading of Belgian prisons.

Luxembourg, on the other hand, despite its outward spaciousness, chooses a cautious policy and does not rush to turn prisons into "hotels for detainees", prioritising the quality of detention and an individual approach to each prisoner.