World Factbook Of Criminal Justice Systems - France

* Availability* Electronic* Weapons.of p o l i c formationnotnotavailable.available.available.4. T r a i n i n g and Q u a l i f i c a t i o n s .Police p e r s o n n e l are r e c r u i t e d on a c o m p e t i t i v e basis.T r a i n i n g is given in s p e c i a l i z e d schools. Police r e c r u i t s a t t e n dthe S a i n t - C y r School at M o n t d'Or for I0 months, I n s p e c t o r sa t t e n d the C a n e t - C l u s e School for 6 months, and p e a c e agentsa t t e n d theS u p e r i o r School for 6 months.5. Discretion.* Useofforce.Informationnotavailable.* S t o p / a p p r e h e n d a suspect.Police can stop and a r r e s t ano f f e n d e r and bring him or her in front of the p u b l i c p r o s e c u t o rif they o b s e r v e an o f f e n s e that is in the p r o c e s s of b e i n gc o m m i t t e d or has just been committed.This a r r e s t can takeplace in a c o e r c i v e manner, i n v o l v i n g the s e a r c h and seizure ofw i t n e s s e s and suspects.As long as they have i n f o r m e d the p u b l i cp r o s e c u t o r ' s office, p o l i c e can keep s u s p e c t s u n d e r o b s e r v a t i o nfor 24 hours.The length of o b s e r v a t i o n i n c r e a s e s to 48 or 96hours in drug trafficking, drug use, and t e r r o r i s m cases.For crimes not d i r e c t l y o b s e r v a b l e by police, a p r e l i m i n a r yi n v e s t i g a t i o n is c o n d u c t e d u n d e r the d i r e c t i o n of the p u b l i cp r o s e c u t o r to o b t a i n i n f o r m a t i o n on the r e p o r t e d offense.Inthese cases, suspects can be kept u n d e r o b s e r v a t i o n only if t h e r eis e v i d e n c e against them and this d e c i s i o n can o n l y be m a d e b y aj u d i c i a r y p o l i c e officer.The law of A u g u s t 24, 1993 g u a r a n t e e sthat after 21 hours under observation, s u s p e c t s have the right torequest an a t t o r n e y and the right to i n f o r m the f a m i l y of thedetention.* D e c i s i o n to arrest.Police can arrest an o f f e n d e r if theyo b s e r v e an o f f e n s e that is in the p r o c e s s of b e i n g c o m m i t t e dhas just been committed.* Search and seizure.Search and s e i z u r e can o c c u rarrest, after the p o l i c e have o b s e r v e d that a c r i m ec o m m i t t e d or is about to be committed.* Confessions.Information6. A c c o u n t a b i l i t y .PROSECUTORIALi. RightsANDnotInformationJUDICIALorduringhas just b e e navailable.notavailable.PROCESSof the Accused.* Rights of the accused.The a c c u s e d has the right to as e l f - o b t a i n e d lawyer or to a lawyer c h o s e n b y the State.Thea c c u s e d also has the right to appeal the judge's decision.Atappeal, thea c c u s e d is b r o u g h t in for t e m p o r a r y c u s t o d y u n d e r

the C h a m b e r of A c c u s a t i o n .Under the law of A u g u s t 24, 1993, thea c c u s e d has the right to ask the P r e s i d e n t of the A c c u s a t i o nChamber to s u s p e n d any s e n t e n c e until a d e c i s i o n is m a d e on theappeal.Finally, the a c c u s e d has the right to be c o m p e n s a t e dfor a b u s i v e custody.* A s s i s t a n c e to the accused.a s s i s t a n c e of an attorney.The a c c u s e d has the right to the2. Procedures.* P r e p a r a t o r y p r o c e d u r e s for b r i n g i n g a suspect to trial.Generally, the p r o c e d u r e by w h i c h a case is b r o u g h t to court ismore e l a b o r a t e as the s e r i o u s n e s s of the crime increases.Thereare two p r o c e d u r a l stages p r e c e d i n g trial.In the p o l i c e stage,the p o l i c e conduct a p r e l i m i n a r y i n v e s t i g a t i o n u n d e r thed i r e c t i o n of the p u b l i c prosecutor.This p r o c e s s i n v o l v e s asearch for the suspect, a h e a r i n g of the suspect, and ano b s e r v a t i o n of the suspect, once arrested.D u r i n g thisinvestigation, the suspect is kept u n d e r o b s e r v a t i o n for 24hours, which can be l e n g t h e n e d under a u t h o r i z a t i o n of the p u b l i cprosecutor.A n o t h e r type of i n v e s t i g a t i o n takes place when thesuspect is caught while c o m m i t t i n g the crime.Police o f f i c e r scan make o b s e r v a t i o n s at the scene of the crime and relate theiri n f o r m a t i o n to the p u b l i c prosecutor.The j u d i c i a r y stage can be i n i t i a t e d by either the PublicM i n i s t e r or the victim, a l t h o u g h the Public M i n i s t e r studies thel e g a l i t i e s i n v o l v e d in the charges and p r o s e c u t e s the suspect.The Public M i n i s t e r decides w h e t h e r the case s h o u l d be b r o u g h tb e f o r e a judge (15%) or be d i s p o s e d of a l t e r n a t i v e l y (85%).The v i c t i m can also i n i t i a t e p r o s e c u t i o n by b r i n g i n g a civilsuit against the suspect, forcing the p u b l i c p r o s e c u t o r to takeaction.Under the Chamber of A c c u s a t i o n , p r e p a r a t o r y i n s t r u c t i o n sfor the case are given to an e x a m i n i n g m a g i s t r a t e who has thepower to p r o c e e d with the e x a m i n a t i o n of the suspect.(Under thelaw of A u g u s t 24, 1993, the term "accuse" was r e p l a c e d by theterm "put under examination".)The m a g i s t r a t e s can interrogate,confront, and bring warrants against the suspect.They can alsoarrest the suspect and bring him or her b e f o r e j u d i c i a lauthority. A n o t h e r set of i n s t r u c t i o n s is given for the b r i n g i n gof appeals.The e x a m i n i n g M a g i s t r a t e reads the charge and the s t a t e m e n tof the defense. Judges of the C o r r e c t i o n a l Court must e x p l a i nr e a s o n i n g for their decision.* O f f i c i a l who conductsp r o s e c u t e a suspect.* Alternativesguilty.* Proportionavailable.prosecution.to trial.of p r o s e c u t e dSuspectsThe Public M i n i s t e rare not a l l o w e dcases going* Pre-trial i n c a r c e r a t i o n conditions.under o b s e r v a t i o n if there is e v i d e n c eto trial.canto p l e a dInformationA p e r s o n may be kepta g a i n s t h i m or her.not

P r e - t r i a l d e t e n t i o n m a y be d e c i d e d by the judge of i n s t r u c t i o n orthe C h a m b e r of A c c u s a t i o n .The a c c u s e d can appeal this d e c i s i o nandr e q u e s t release or can use the p r o v i s i o n a l order of release.* Bail procedure.The a c c u s e d can be r e l e a s e d f r o m p r e - t r i a ld e t e n t i o n on bail.This d e c i s i o n is m a d e by a judge ofi n s t r u c t i o n or the C h a m b e r of A c c u s a t i o n .* P r o p o r t i o n of p r e - t r i a l o f f e n d e r s i n c a r c e r a t e d .number of p r e - t r i a l o f f e n d e r s t o t a l e d 20,789.JUDICIALIn 1990,theSYSTEMi. A d m i n i s t r a t i o n .Police Court.Police Courts have j u r i s d i c t i o n o v e r v i o l a t i o n sthe law that incur a p u n i s h m e n t of less than 2 m o n t h si m p r i s o n m e n t and a m a x i m u m fine of 25,000 francs.ofC o r r e c t i o n a l Court.C o r r e c t i o n a l Courts have j u r i s d i c t i o n overo f f e n s e s w h i c h can incur a m a x i m u m of I0 years i m p r i s o n m e n t .A s s i z e Court.The A s s i z e Court has j u r i s d i c t i o n over seriouscrimes that have p o s s i b l e life i m p r i s o n m e n t sentences.TheA s s i z e Court sits on an ad hoc basis (not a p e r m a n e n t court).Its d e c i s i o n s are p e r m a n e n t and cannot be b r o u g h t for appeal.The C h a m b e r of C o r r e c t i o n a l Appeals.The C h a m b e r of C o r r e c t i o n a lA p p e a l s hears appeals of d e c i s i o n s b r o u g h t to it by the Policeand C o r r e c t i o n a l Courts.S u p r e m e Court of Appeal.The C r i m i n a l C h a m b e r of the S u p r e m eCourt of A p p e a l o v e r s e e s the a p p l i c a t i o n of law in all courts.It v e r i f i e s judicial d e c i s i o n s to e n s u r e that the a p p l i c a t i o n ofthe law and the r e s u l t i n g s e n t e n c e s are sound, but does notactuallyhear any cases.Its judges d e t e r m i n e the a p p r o p r i a t ea p p l i c a t i o n of the law in a case, but do not d r a w any c o n c l u s i o n sas to the facts of the case.2. SpecialCourts.Court for Children.This court hears cases i n v o l v i n g m i n o r sc h a r g e d with o f f e n s e s that w o u l d be b r o u g h t to the P o l i c e andC o r r e c t i o n a l Courts if they were adults (for instance,m i s d e m e a n o r s and v i o l a t i o n s ) .A s s i z e Courtc h a r g e d withfor Minors.m o r e seriousThis courtoffenses.hearscasesinvolvingminors3. Judges.* N u m b e r of judges.In 1990, t h e r e w e r e 5,796 judges, 50% ofw h o m were women.The A s s i z e Court c o n s i s t s of three p r o f e s s i o n a l m a g i s t r a t e splus a jury of nine members.All other courts are o p e r a t e ds o l e l y by p r o f e s s i o n a l m a g i s t r a t e s .

* A p p o i n t m e n t and q u a l i f i c a t i o n s .Judges are r e c r u i t e d and m u s tcompete for entry after 2 years of t r a i n i n g at the N a t i o n a lSchool of M a g i s t r a t u r e .PENALTIES AND SENTENCINGI. S e n t e n c i n g Process.* Who d e t e r m i n e s the s e n t e n c e ?The s e n t e n c e is d e t e r m i n e d by thecourt.The judge that sets the p u n i s h m e n t also d e c i d e s how thep u n i s h m e n t will be c a r r i e d out.* Is there a specialavailable.sentencing hearing?Informationnot* W h i c h persons have input into the s e n t e n c i n g p r o c e s s ?Theaccused, the victim, and the Public M i n i s t e r can express theiropinions at sentencing.Expert witnesses, such as p s y c h i a t r i s t s ,have a great influence.The court will g e n e r a l l y abide by thec o n c l u s i o n s of expert witnesses.2. Typesof Penalties.* Range of Penalties.Penalties g e n e r a l l y range from fines form i n o r offenses to d e p r i v a t i o n of l i b e r t y for serious offenses,a l t h o u g h i m p r i s o n m e n t can be used for m i s d e m e a n o r s as well asmore serious crimes.There are other p u n i s h m e n t s such as s e i z u r eof property, closing down of e s t a b l i s h m e n t s , and c o m m u n i t yservice.A life sentence in p r i s o n is often given as p u n i s h m e n t tothe crimes of murder, a s s a s s i n a t i o n , parricide, poisoning, a t t a c kupon State security, and c o u n t e r f e i t i n g .Prison s e n t e n c e s areg e n e r a l l y given for the crimes of rape, a r m e d robbery, k i d n a p i n gof a minor, unlawful imprisonment, threats, assault, a s s i s t a n c eof suicide, homicide, and forms of i n d e c e n c y (for instance,p u b l i c indecency).* Death penalty.O c t o b e r 9, 1981.The death p e n a l t y was r e p e a l e d by the law ofPRISONI. Description.* N u m b e r of prisons and type.There are five types of penalinstitutions.Central houses receive o f f e n d e r s who have beens e n t e n c e d to more than i year in prison.D e t e n t i o n centers canalso receive o f f e n d e r s with long sentences, but are o r i e n t a t e dtoward the r e - s o c i a l i z a t i o n of offenders.Stop Houses receiveo f f e n d e r s with less than a one year sentence.PenitentiaryCenters are a h y b r i d of Stop Houses and C e n t r a l Houses andreceive offenders with both long and short sentences.S e m i - l i b e r t y Centers house o f f e n d e r s who can be r e l e a s e d forshort p e r i o d s of time to go to work, school, p r o f e s s i o n a ltraining, or u n d e r g o m e d i c a l treatment.* Numberof prison beds.As of 1990,there were a total of

49,186 p r i s o n beds.* Number of annual admissions.The n u m b e r of a d m i s s i o n s intoclosed e n v i r o n m e n t prisons l o c a t e d in cities, d u r i n g 1990, was78,444, the number of releases, 75,193.The n u m b e r of annuali n c a r c e r a t i o n s in an open e n v i r o n m e n t was 91,545, w i t h an a v e r a g elength of d e t e n t i o n of 6.6 months.* A v e r a g e d a i l y p o p u l a t i o n / n u m b e r of p r i s o n e r s .As of J a n u a r y i,1990, there were a total of 137,757 p e r s o n s in the p r i s o npopulation, of which 45,420 were in a c l o s e d p r i s o n e n v i r o n m e n tand 92,337 were in an open environment.In c l o s e d p r i s o nenvironments, there were 43,400 men and 2,020 female inmates.There were 43,913 inmates h o u s e d in c i t y - l o c a t e d c l o s e dprison e n v i r o n m e n t s in 1990, of w h i c h 41,944 were men and 1,969were women.Of these, 30,887 were French and 13,026 wereforeigners.* A c t u a l or e s t i m a t e d p r o p o r t i o n s of inmates i n c a r c e r a t e d . A c t u a lnumber of c o n v i c t i o n s of penal p o p u l a t i o n in c l o s e d prisonsl o c a t e d in cities in 1990.Drug crimesInformationV i o l e n t crimes(Offenses againstpersons)7,355Property crimes(Offenses againstproperty)9,253Other offenses(including offensesagainst p u b l i c peaceand the State)7,189Totalcrimesnot a v a i l a b l e23,7972. A d m i n i s t r a t i o n .* Administration.Prison a d m i n i s t r a t i o n is a f f i l i a t e d with theM i n i s t e r of Justice and consists of the central a d m i n i s t r a t i o nservice and e x t e r i o r services.The p r i s o n central a d m i n i s t r a t i o nservice is h e a d q u a r t e r e d in Paris.P r i s o n e x t e r i o r serviceso p e r a t e at both a regional and local level,along four areas ofinterest: the a p p l i c a t i o n of judicial decisions, r e i n t e g r a t i o n ,human resources, and general a d m i n i s t r a t i o n .* Number of prison guards.In 1990, there were a total of 2 1 , 8 6 6prison personnel, of which 308 were in h i g h - l e v e l a d m i n i s t r a t i v epositions, 1,933 were in general a d m i n i s t r a t i v e positions, 18,137were w a t c h i n g staff (guards), 550 were t e c h n i c a l personnel, 899were e d u c a t i o n a l personnel, and I00 were n o n - u n i f o r m e d staff.* Trainingand q u a l i f i c a t i o n s .Informationnot available.

* E x p e n d i t u r e on the prison system.In 1992, 27.8% of the b u d g e tfor the M i n i s t e r of Justice went toward prisons, t o t a l i n g5,029,398,244 francs.Each day of d e t e n t i o n cost 252 francs perprisoner.3. PrisonConditions.* Remissions.Inmates can apply for early release from thePenalty A p p l i c a t i o n Commission.The reduction cannot exceed 3months per year of i n c a r c e r a t i o n and 7 days per month fori n c a r c e r a t i o n over one year.Time reduction is also p e r m i t t e d if the inmate passes anacademic exam or completes u n i v e r s i t y or p r o f e s s i o n a l studies.However, this form of reduction cannot exceed 2 months per yearof incarceration.Prisoners with life sentences can also obtain parole.Thetotal reduction of sentence cannot exceed 20 days or a month peryear of incarceration.* Work/education.Inmates are not o b l i g a t e d to work, although inprincipal, prisons are o b l i g a t e d to provide work for inmates todo.About 40% of the prisoners are p r o v i d e d with p a i d work.* Amenities/privileges.Prisons are h u m a n i z e d on a physicallevel by the a v a i l a b i l i t y of sanitary conditions for inmates andon a moral level, by allowing inmates to have family contact andto receive visits at p r e - d e t e r m i n e d intervals.In some cases,such as the death or imminent death of a relative, inmates canleave confinement for short periods of time.Educators, social workers, prison visitors, and clergy froma v a r i e t y of religions p a r t i c i p a t e in the r e h a b i l i t a t i o n ofinmates.EXTRADITIONAND TREATIES* Extradition.Bilateral e x t r a d i t i o n agreements exist with thefollowing countries: South Africa, Algeria, Germany, Argentina,Australia, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso,Cameroon, Canada, Central A f r i c a n Republic, Chili, Cyprus,Colombia, Congo, Ivory Coast, Cuba, Denmark, Djibouti, Egypt,Ecuador, Spain, United States, Finland, Gabon, Great Britain,Greece, Hungary, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Laos, Latvia,Liberia, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Madagascar, Mall, Panama,Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino,Senegal, Sweden, Switzerland, Chad, Czechoslovakia, Thailand,Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, and Zaire.There are several m u l t i - l a t e r a l e x t r a d i t i o n agreements inexistence as well:Internationalsigned May 18, 1904.-agreementagainstA g r e e m e n t on the repressionsigned May 4, 1910.--slavethe whiteof the whiteA g r e e m e n t on the r e p r e s s i o n of the womentrade, signed September 30, 1921.slaveslavetrade,trade,and children

-Genevaagreementon counterfeitmoney,signed A p r i l20,1929.- A g r e e m e n t on the repression of illicit drug traffic,signed June 26, 1936. Protocol of D e c e m b e r ii, 1946.- Agreement(O.N.U.), signedetc.,for the p r e v e n t i o nDecember 9, 1948.and r e p r e s s i o nof genocide- Geneva agreement (prisoners protection, civil, injured,in the case of armed conflict), signed A u g u s t 12, 1949.- A g r e e m e n t on the trade of humansothers, signed December 2, 1949.and p r o s t i t u t i o nNew York agreementSeptember Ii, 1952.of refugees,on the status-- Protocol relativeJanuary 31, 1967.European1957.-13,to the statusextradition- Agreementof mutualagreementof refugees,of Paris,aid on penal matter,ofsignedsignedsignedDecembersigned April20,1959.- Unique agreement on drugs, signed MarchA m e n d m e n t protocol, signed March 25, 1972.-signedTokyo agreement (offensesSeptember 14, 1963.committedEuropean agreement concerningor probation, signed November 1964.-- The Hague agreementDecember 16, 197

unity of the civil and criminal justice system, which means that the same court can hear both criminal and civil cases. 3. History of the Criminal Justice System. . The victim must establish that the crime fulfills three conditions: a) that the offense is punishable; b) that the offense attacked an interest that is penally protected; c) and .