The National Assembly widely adopted at first reading on Friday the delicate reform of the criminal justice of minors, considered too "repressive" by the left and professionals of the judicial protection of young people, and too lenient by some on the right or at the RN .
Speed up procedures, reduce pre-trial detentions ... The National Assembly voted on Friday for the delicate reform of juvenile criminal justice, deemed too "repressive" by the left and professionals in the judicial protection of young people, and too lenient by some to the right or to the RN.
This bill, adopted at first reading by 41 votes to 8, is the ratification of a government ordinance due to enter into force on March 31, 2021, after a postponement due to the coronavirus.
Presumption of irresponsibility before 13 years
It replaces the 1945 ordinance devoted to juvenile delinquency in order to speed up judgments, via a two-step procedure, with "educational testing".
This new "code of criminal justice for minors" also provides for a presumption of irresponsibility before 13 years.
For minors aged 13 and over, the government finally intends to "reduce" the length and number of pre-trial detention, which is breaking records, despite a relatively stable number of cases.
"It is my insurance", and "also what carries me", insisted Eric Dupond-Moretti Friday.
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A text and a budget that raise questions
The need for a major overhaul of the founding text of juvenile justice, amended 39 times since its creation at the Liberation, is unanimous.
But the use of an ordinance, taken in September 2019 and which parliamentarians are called upon to simply ratify, offends the unions in the sector, like the opposition.
On December 1, a hundred lawyers, magistrates, clerks and educators demonstrated in front of the Bobigny courthouse, in Seine-Saint-Denis, the first children's court in France, to denounce the "repressive" logic and "l 'lack of means' of the text.
The goal is to do "more quickly, without providing the means, to the detriment of the quality of educational support," denounce several organizations such as the CGT or the League of Human Rights in a petition.
On the left, Communists and LFI protested against the text, judging that it does not present "the necessary safeguards" and sees minors through "the sole prism of delinquency".
Socialist Cécile Untermaier voted for the bill: in her eyes, "it is not the text that poses a problem", but the "budget".