Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on February 4 that he will present two separate bills to reform the judicial system due to limited parliamentary time. The first aims to halve delays in criminal case judgments, while the second will address sentence enforcement.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin revealed on Wednesday, February 4, during an RTL interview that he plans to split his initial judicial reform project into two separate legislative texts. Originally, a single bill combined measures on scheduling criminal cases and enforcing sentences. However, given the urgency and a packed parliamentary schedule, “we’re dividing it into two; we don’t have time in Parliament to study the entire text, there aren’t many parliamentary windows left,” he explained to AFP.
The first text, which is a priority, focuses on criminal justice. With 5,000 cases pending, current delays stand at six years for rape trials and eight years for blood crimes such as murder or attempted assassination. Darmanin aims to halve these timelines. Key measures include extending the plea-bargain procedure to crimes, provided the victim agrees; broadening the jurisdiction of departmental criminal courts to appeals and recidivism cases, currently handled by assize courts; procedural simplifications; and legalizing genetic genealogy. This bill could be fully adopted before July 14, easing a majority with the left, according to the minister’s entourage.
The second text, to follow later, will address sentence enforcement: restricting probation to first-time offenders, eliminating mandatory sentence adjustments, experimenting with ultra-short prison terms, and implementing a numerus clausus in detention centers to combat prison overcrowding. A majority with the right appears more feasible here.
Feminist associations and left or centrist deputies propose specializing departmental criminal courts in sexual crimes, following the Spanish model; this idea will be discussed during parliamentary debates.
