France’s proposal to build a high-security prison in its overseas territory of French Guiana has ignited significant opposition from local leaders and residents, who accuse the French government of reviving colonial practices by using the region as a penal site for the most dangerous criminals.
The 500-capacity facility, expected to open by 2028, will feature a 60-inmate supermax wing designed to house high-profile drug traffickers and suspected Islamist militants. The prison is part of France’s broader strategy to tackle organized crime and terrorism.
Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin confirmed the project during a visit to the town of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, a former penal colony that housed the notorious Devil’s Island. Darmanin described the facility as France’s third “high-security” prison, emphasizing its strategic location to keep high-level offenders isolated from their networks.
“We are targeting organized crime at every level, from source to consumer,” he said, adding that 15 cells in the supermax wing would be reserved for radicalized Islamist inmates. The €400 million ($451 million) project will include a courtroom, with staffing from French Guiana and the Caribbean territories.
Despite these assurances, the announcement has been met with strong condemnation across French Guiana. Local officials argue that the plan was made without proper consultation and accuse the French government of exploiting the region’s peripheral status.
Jean-Paul Fereira, acting president of the Guianese Territorial Collectivity, expressed “astonishment and indignation,” stating that the territory’s lawmakers were not informed about the scale of the project until it was revealed in the press. “This project undermines our dignity,” Fereira said.
Jean-Victor Castor, a member of France’s National Assembly for French Guiana, called the project a “colonial regression” and a political provocation. He demanded that the government withdraw the plan, asserting that French Guiana should not be used to house mainland France’s most dangerous criminals.
