This system of sequenced opening periods within long-stay prisons may give the casual observer the impression that prisoners have a real possibility of organising their time and their use of space as they desire: indeed, they can choose to go to the weight training room or the painting workshop, the library or the workshop, the exercise yard or the gymnasium etc. In reality, this freedom for prisoners is only relative, and subjects them to considerable inconvenience on a daily basis: if one of them uses an open timeslot in order to go to any particular place, they are often only able to return to their cell at the time of scheduled movements, in general in the middle or at the end of the morning or afternoon. Furthermore, it is not possible for them to go to neighbouring cells to share a meal, engage in an activity with its occupant or simply talk. These constraints are so real for convicted prisoners serving long sentences that, in the majority of long-stay prisons, in the course of time the “closed doors” regime ends up being less strictly applied by prison officers, who then often leave the doors open during the day. This situation infringes the statutory provisions and is not officially acknowledged by the administration which does not, therefore, place keys to cells at prisoners’ disposal, as in the case of long-term detention centres operating with the “open doors” system. Insofar as the cell doors remain open in the morning and afternoon, thefts regularly occur, which gives rise to tensions, and even violence, and fear of leaving the cell in view of these risks; certain persons even asking to be locked in their cells for their own safety. In long-stay prisons, cell opening times may also be used in order to go to living areas, shared rooms inside prisons and collective areas in exercise yards (exercise areas, temporary huts etc.), which the administration has set up or allowed prisoners to set up. These are places for activities, preparation of meals (sometimes with the possibility of storage of personal food), eating meals in common, ironing or playing electronic games etc. Long-stay prison wings (QMC / quartiers maison centrale) have been designed in prisons since the beginning of the 2010s. In general, QMCs are composed of collective areas on the ground floor, with accommodation wings on the upper floors, all of which have a limited number of cells (a maximum of fourteen) and also function according to the principle of closed cells and collective areas. Movements are strictly supervised with a twofold operational division into different sectors: separation of the wing from the rest of the prison, and separation of different parts of the wing. The persons encountered in these wings mentioned their difficulty in living within a system experienced as oppressive. The environment is characterised by its cramped nature and the dullness of the external exercise and sports areas. Moreover, daily life gives rise to continuous exposure to public view, as from the moment of going through the cell door, as expressed by the following reaction heard during a visit: “We suffocate here, we’re confined, we’re marking time!” The staff of these institutions, exclusively assigned to QMCs, are aware of these difficulties, and are often surprised that everything has not been done in order to ensure that prisoners are occupied and taken care of and fear their absence of prospects: the inspectors heard phrases such as “there needs to be a social life in this institution” and “the institution mustn’t be seen as a place for people to die” on the part of these members of staff. 86