Once again, news first disseminated on social networks led a minister to react, perhaps a little too quickly this time. On Sunday, August 21, the mood at the Ministry of Justice was quiet in order to keep things calm, 24 hours after the accusatory message posted by Eric Dupond-Moretti. Reacting to a video posted on YouTube showing inmates participating in a go-kart race with guards at the Fresnes prison (Val-de-Marne), as part of an activity called "Kohlantess" in reference to the reality TV show "Koh-Lanta"), the justice minister wrote on Twitter on Saturday: "Following the shocking images from the Fresnes prison, I immediately ordered an investigation to shed light on the matter. The struggle against recidivism is won through rehabilitation, certainly not go-karting!"
No one in the office of the justice minister or in the prison administration was allowed to comment on the case on Sunday, which gained momentum in the media and on Twitter. The minister's reaction, which came after several personalities with ties to the far right contributed to the mounting outrage over the video, took the furor to the next level.
The investigation immediately ordered "to shed light on the matter" will not be entrusted to the General Inspectorate of Justice, contrary to what the minister's tone suggested. Le Monde has learned from a reliable source that it will probably be the responsibility of the prison administration to report on the matter.
Only two inmates concerned
The words of Mr. Dupond-Moretti contradicted his ministry: The video he found "shocking" had in fact been approved by the Ministry of Justice before its release on YouTube, as Le Figaro revealed. According to our information, the "dicom," as the communication department of the Justice Ministry is called, even intervened four times to obtain modifications to the content of the video, which was supposed to summarize the activity organized on July 27 in this prison with the help of three local organizations. All filming in a detention center requires authorizations from the central directorates of the ministry, and a merger of the communication services of the different directorates in 2020 further centralized the process, bringing it as close as possible to the minister's office.
The activity organized in the prison involved three teams made up of inmates, guards and young people from the community competing in various events such as go-karting, tug-of-war over a pool and a quiz. The organizer, Djibril Dramé, has also successfully organized a "Koh Lanta des cités," bringing together young people from the Fresnes neighborhoods and police officers. The official video was supposed to promote this type of initiative as he prepares a similar event with firefighters.
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