After Alvaro Gil-Robles spent sixteen days inspecting various French prisons he said that the prison of Les Baumettes, Marseille, was "revolting". Serious overcrowding provided an over-excited atmosphere and widespread, inadequately treated psychiatric problems. He went on to question why prisoners were forced to sleep on the floor without mattresses in the custody cells in the 18th arrondissement in Paris.
He did however praise the work of charities and the attitude of the French magistrates. He was pleased with his reception by the Minister for Foreign Affairs Philippe Douste- Blazy and Justice Minister Pascal Clément. He was very unhappy that Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy cancelled his appointment and was therefore the only minister of the interior out of the 32 countries he had visited who had not received him. Could it be that Sarkozy was disgruntled that the commissioner submitted his formal report to the government after giving the newspaper interview?
