Even in Western Europe, which boasts the most rehabilitation-oriented penal systems, ghastly scandals periodically erupt. In 2000, the chief physician at Paris's crumbling La Santé penitentiary, Veronique Vasseur, wrote a scathing exposé of "virtually medieval" conditions, complete with rat infestations, rotten food, extreme temperature variations, desperate self-mutilations, bullying, drug-dealing guards, and widespread sexual assault, often perpetrated by staff.