- The Ministry of Justice has asked that short sentences not be applied during the fight against Covid-19, to regulate the population in prison.
- In Nîmes, people sentenced to less than a year in prison will not be placed behind bars immediately. Except for domestic violence.
In the midst of the fight against the spread of Covid-19, there is no question of clogging up prisons even more: the Minister of Justice, Nicole Belloubet, asked the courts to "postpone the execution of the short sentences of imprisonment. "
"The regulation of the occupation of remand centers is (...) a priority during this period, indicated on March 19, in a press release, the Ministry of Justice. These measures are already being implemented. In recent days, there have been around thirty daily admissions to prison, compared to more than 200 usually. "
Except for domestic violence, in Nîmes
In Nîmes, in the Gard, where prison overcrowding is one of the highest in France (400 detainees in remand center, against 200 places, according to the latest count from the ministry), the prosecutor decided to defer the incarceration of persons sentenced to less than one year in prison. They will not be placed behind bars immediately. This regulation of the execution of sentences is normally implemented each summer in Nîmes to relieve congestion in the prison. Measures related to the spread of the coronavirus precipitated the device.
# Nimes
The regulation of incarceration is practiced every summer by the Nimes prosecution.
🔸Covid-19
➡️ instructions given by @procureurNimes to no longer incarcerate people sentenced to a prison sentence of less than 1 year
(except domestic violence) https://t.co/OAFyEayVb3
"The execution of the sentence is postponed until the end of the plan to fight the Covid-19," said Eric Maurel, the public prosecutor of Nîmes, to 20 Minutes . I made the choice, in view of the context linked to Covid-19, of the particular situation of the Nîmes prison, to go up to a year. Excluding [convictions related to] domestic violence. The minister having always asked us to have a resolute action in the fight against violence within the couple, while confinement risks worsening risk situations. »In addition, certain penalties may be adjusted.
Should we go further? In a press release published on March 18, several associations, including organizations for the defense of detainees, called for "getting all those who can be released from prison". "Instructions should be given to public prosecutors' offices in order to systematize and generalize the measures already provided for by law: release the accused persons under judicial supervision, multiply the adjustments of sentence and anticipate the release of those at the end of the sentence, suspend the sentences for reason of the most vulnerable people, etc. "
#COVID ー 19 In #prison, it is urgent to reduce overcrowding to avoid the health crisis.
Joint press release with @ AssociationA3D #ANJAP @syndicatavocats @SMagistrature ⏬https: //t.co/b35PFtnJw9
Incidents in Grasse or Perpignan
Since the introduction of the plan against the Covid-19, several incidents have broken out in prisons, in France, in Perpignan, Béziers or Grasse. Detainees had refused to return to their cells after the walk, to challenge the suspension of the visiting rooms.
On March 19, the ministry indicated that each detainee could benefit from a credit of 40 euros per month on his telephone account, "allowing him to stay in contact with his family and relatives". And in an attempt to remedy the suspension of activities, free television would also be provided during this period.
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- Covid 19
- Coronavirus
- Society
- Languedoc-Roussillon
- Jail
- Nimes