Overview

• Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin has secured cabinet backing for legislation, expected in September 2025, mandating at least three months’ imprisonment for violence against police.
• A CSA poll for Le JDD, Europe 1 and CNews finds 87 % of French respondents support compulsory prison terms of no less than three months for offenders who assault state representatives.
• The draft law would abolish suspended sentences and mandatory sentence adjustments, ensuring convicted individuals serve custodial terms instead of community-based penalties.
• France’s prisons held 83,681 inmates as of May 1, 2025, surpassing available capacity by roughly 35 %, a factor judicial unions cite in warning of deeper overcrowding.
• Political figures on the right champion the tougher stance, while leaders on the left caution against one-size-fits-all penalties driven by public emotion.