France's justice minister to present criminal justice bill to Cabinet

"The 'procedure for adjudicating admitted crimes' is intended to speed up the processing of the rapidly rising number of trials. Currently, 6,000 criminal cases are awaiting trial. Already in place for misdemeanours, the guilty plea procedure for crimes will be more formal. It will apply only to cases involving a single perpetrator and will require that the facts be fully admitted, that the prosecution agrees, and that the victim does not object."

"According to estimates by the Ministry of Justice, it could apply to as many as 15 percent of criminal cases. The aim is to reduce the time between the end of the investigation and the trial to around six months, compared to an average of four years at present."

"The Paris Bar Association, which represents 35,000 lawyers - nearly half of all French lawyers - 'opposes' the implementation of this procedure, 'believing that it would seriously undermine the right to a fair trial as well as victims' rights'. Under the terms of the bill, the duration of a hearing in a plea-bargained case would be reduced to around half a day, notably as neither witnesses nor experts would be called to give evidence in court."

France's Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin presented a criminal justice reform bill featuring a plea bargain procedure for crimes, modeled on existing misdemeanor procedures. The procedure applies only to single-perpetrator cases requiring full admission of facts, prosecution agreement, and victim non-objection. Estimated to apply to 15 percent of criminal cases, it aims to reduce trial delays from four years to six months. Hearings would last approximately half a day without witness or expert testimony. The bill also reforms criminal courts established in 2019, allowing up to two non-professional judges among five magistrates. The Paris Bar Association, representing 35,000 lawyers, opposes the procedure, citing concerns about fair trial rights and victim protections. Parliamentary examination begins in mid-April with a final vote targeted for mid-July.

Read at The Local France