Overview
- Official accounting shows roughly 5,000 criminal cases stuck, with more than 20% concentrated in the Paris and Aix-en-Provence appeals courts after a 68% rise in pending cases since 2019.
- Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin has acknowledged that some pretrial detainees will be freed once legal time limits are exceeded, with local reporting citing 19 imminent releases in the Aix-en-Provence district.
- Planned legislation dubbed SURE would broaden negotiated-plea mechanisms to criminal matters when the accused acknowledges the facts, a proposal initially advanced by the Unité Magistrats union.
- Short-term fixes under study include a €10 million fund for temporary magistrates in assize sessions, renting extra courtrooms, and a national magistrate brigade to reinforce overloaded jurisdictions.
- Capacity gaps continue to strain the system as France fields about 11 judges and 3 prosecutors per 100,000 people versus European averages of 22 and 12, while police and prosecutors prioritize serious offenses and leave many everyday complaints unprocessed.