construction on the prison began in 1847, when the former convent of the daughters of the good shepherd was demolished on rue du cherche-midi in paris. the prison was modeled after the auburn prison in auburn, new york, and consisted of 200 solitary confinement cells. the prison population consisted of military personnel convicted of crimes by military tribunal, draft dodgers, deserters and occasional political prisoners. prisoners were not permitted to talk to each other during the day and were kept isolated in their cells at night.