It comprises a large men's prison (maison d'arrêt) of about 1,200 cells, a smaller one for women and a penitentiary hospital.

At Fresnes prison, for the first time, cell houses extended crosswise from a central corridor.

[citation needed] During World War II, Fresnes prison was used by the Germans to house captured British SOE agents and members of the French Resistance.

[1] As soon as the Allied forces broke through at Normandy and fought their way to liberate Paris, the Gestapo peremptorily killed prisoners at Fresnes.

Fresnes Prison was liberated on 24 August 1944 by the French 2nd Armoured Division under General Philippe Leclerc, after a day of heavy fighting with many casualties on both sides.