After spending 22 years behind bars for drug trafficking, Yannick Deslandes has recreated the harsh realities of prison life in a mobile cell in Villeurbanne, near Lyon, in a bid to deter young people from crime.
The eight-square-metre replica, installed in a trailer at the foot of the Tonkin housing estate, offers visitors a glimpse into the confined conditions of prison life. The initiative is designed to challenge perceptions of incarceration and discourage young people from engaging in criminal activities.
Deslandes, who served 22 years in prison for drug trafficking, established the project through his association, Mur’Mures, using his personal experience to educate young people about the consequences of crime.
The recreated cell includes bunk beds and a toilet without a door, illustrating the limited privacy and restricted living conditions inmates can face behind bars.
Through the initiative, Deslandes hopes to counter the perception of prison as a comfortable retreat, sometimes dismissed as a “Club Med” resort, by presenting a more realistic picture of life in detention.
The project brings the prison experience closer to young people who may have little understanding of the restrictions, loss of freedom and personal consequences associated with incarceration.
By placing the replica in a residential area, the association aims to encourage conversations about crime, responsibility and the choices that can lead to imprisonment.
Deslandes’ initiative uses his own experience to deliver a direct message to young people: crime can carry consequences that extend far beyond the moment an offence is committed.
