Particle.news

Download on the App Store

France Moves to Enshrine Three-Month Minimum Sentences for Attacks on Police

Judges warn that mandatory jail terms for minor assaults will swell inmate numbers beyond current capacity

Image
Le ministre de la Justice Gérald Darmanin, le 4 juin 2025, à Paris
Le procureur général près la Cour de cassation, Rémy Heitz, le 10 janvier 2025, à Paris

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.