Dijon Jailbreak: French Inmates Saw Through Bars, Use Bedsheets in 'Old-Fashioned' Escape Amidst Prison Crisis

Dramatic 'Old-Fashioned' Jailbreak in Dijon Shines Light on French Prison Woes

In a dramatic and rather anachronistic turn of events, two prisoners successfully broke out of a French correctional facility in Dijon by employing a method straight out of a classic escape film: sawing through cell bars and fashioning a makeshift rope from bedsheets. The daring escape occurred just before dawn on a recent Thursday, drawing attention to both the ingenuity of the fugitives and the persistent issues plaguing France's prison system.

The Ingenious Escape Method

Dijon prosecutor Olivier Caracotch confirmed the details of the 'old-fashioned' getaway, noting that guards discovered the men missing shortly after they had made their escape. While specific details on the bedsheet descent remain undisclosed, the core method involved manual saw blades to breach the cell's security. Ahmed Saih, a union official representing prison officers at the facility, emphasized the rudimentary nature of the tools used.

Fugitives Identified and Systemic Concerns Raised

The escaped inmates are identified as a 19-year-old individual, who had been in pre-trial detention since October 2024 for an attempted murder linked to a drug case, and a 32-year-old man, incarcerated since 2023 for charges related to threats and violence against a partner.

This incident casts a spotlight on broader concerns within the French penal system. Staff unions have repeatedly voiced grievances over state neglect of conventional prisons, particularly as resources are increasingly diverted to new 'supermax' facilities designed for high-profile narco criminals. France grapples with some of the most severe prison overcrowding in Europe, a systemic issue that union officials argue compromises security and operational effectiveness in standard jails, potentially contributing to vulnerabilities exploited in such escapes.