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Early Release of Prisoners in France: Plus ca Change, Plus C'est la Meme Chose

NCJ Number
132255
Journal
Howard Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 30 Issue: 3 Dated: (August 1991) Pages: 231-237
Author(s)
M G Lloyd
Date Published
1991
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This review of French and English procedures for early release of prisoners discusses the issue of "penological pragmatism" and whether it will be a valid criticism of the French criminal justice system in the 1990's.
Abstract
Liberation conditionnelle, first introduced to the French criminal justice system in 1885, was subjected to a series of proposals and counter-proposals in the 1970's and 1980's, depending on the ruling government's political program on law and order. Under current procedures, prisoners serving sentences less than 3 years receive early release through a decision of the juge de l'application des peines (JAP), while the Minister of Justice decides on early release for prisoners serving longer terms. Some of the conditions accompanying early release may include compulsory supervision, hospital or medical treatment, restitution orders, and restricted associations. In France, early release programs have grown slowly because of the large number of prisoners who refuse it as well as those who fail to fulfill the eligibility requirements. Proposals for reforming liberation conditionnelle have focused on simplifying cumbersome administrative procedures and reducing the powers of the JAP in granting early release. 1 table, 3 notes, and 14 references (Author abstract modified)