Can the coronavirus lead to the release of certain prisoners? As the epidemic continues to grow in France, concern is mounting in prisons, where there has already been one death, 34 positive cases (including 24 officials) and 500 confined prisoners. In this context, many lawyers are trying to obtain accommodation of sentence, or even release, for their clients. This is even the essence of their activity since the cancellation of the hearings because of the Covid-19.
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Twice as many release requests
Driven by the concern of the families of the detainees, the lawyers are asking for twice as much release as usual. While it is inconceivable that this procedure will succeed for the vast majority of prisoners, it however becomes possible for prisoners who are at the end of their sentence, with less than six months to remain behind bars. Especially since the judges seem to have taken the measure of the situation to believe Me Arnaud Levy-Soussan, lawyer at the Grenoble bar.
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Kindness, without laxity or permissiveness
"The rate of positive response to requests for release is much higher at the moment," he said at the microphone of Europe 1. "When the cases were tangible, the judges hesitated. This is no longer the case. case." Claiming to have had twenty cases, he observed "some positive feedback for clients at the end of their sentence. Even if we cannot say that it works every time." He added: "There was never any question in the minds of the magistrates of opening the prison doors and saying 'when there is such a period of time left, you can go out automatically.'"
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A new, more benevolent approach confirmed by the Grenoble public prosecutor's office, which insists that this does not create laxity or permissiveness. Nevertheless, the files are now examined in the light of this new health risk, and medical certificates take on more importance than usual.
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