Overview
- Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin confirmed the 19 state-run CEFs will be requalified into 'unités judiciaires à priorité éducative' beginning in 2026, with the eight new centers planned by law placed under moratorium or requalified.
- Association-run CEFs will continue under their contracts for the time being, leaving judges access to those placements.
- A forthcoming circular to prosecutors and the youth justice service (PJJ) will encourage more constraining judicial controls that include placement decisions and educational or treatment obligations.
- The reconfigured units will ban mobile phones and allow searches to enforce rules, with the ministry linking the ban to exposure to harmful content.
- Implementation includes redeploying roughly 95 staff from current centers and opening a competition to hire about 40 technical teachers to boost on-site schooling, with rollout slated for 2026.