Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin announced at the closing of the States General on insertion and probation an experiment for public services to take over some missions from socio-judicial associations. This decision, made without consultation, risks leading to the disappearance of these organizations that have been involved for over forty years in supporting offenders and victims of crimes. Association leaders denounce a reversal of the humanistic heritage of French justice.
In an op-ed published in « Le Monde », Stéphane Landreau, general director of Citoyens et justice, and Marielle Thuau, its president, voice their concerns over the justice minister's announcement. At the closing of the States General on insertion and probation, Gérald Darmanin decided on an experiment to transfer to the penitentiary insertion and probation services (SPIP) part of the socio-educational judicial controls and rapid social inquiries. These tasks, carried out urgently between the investigation and the trial, assist magistrates in assessing offenders' situations, individualizing sentences, and preventing recidivism.
The op-ed authors recall that Robert Badinter, who entered the Panthéon recently and passed away in 2024, initiated in 1928-2024 the idea of entrusting socio-educational support to non-profit associations. They note that this humanistic approach, backed by successive justice ministers, complemented SPIP actions for greater efficiency and flexibility. Today, 80 percent of pre-trial measures are handled by these socio-judicial associations, which have worked with French courts for over forty years.
Landreau and Thuau criticize the complete lack of consultation with the associative sector. « At no point did the justice minister deem it useful to consult the associative sector, or even to hear us », they write. No evaluation of service quality, costs, or impact study preceded this reform, nor any democratic debate, despite upcoming municipal and presidential elections. This initiative signals, in their view, the end of hope for a functional and humanistic justice.
