INDIVIDUALIZATION WITH REGARD TO SENTENCING WENT UNRECOGNIZED UNTIL 1810, WITH JUDICIAL DISCRETION TO DECISIONMAKING DEVELOPING MUCH LATER. BY 1976, THE ROUGH DRAFT OF THE NEW FRENCH PENAL CODE HAD ACCEPTED THE PRINCIPLE OF INDIVIDUALIZATION. ATTENTION SHIFTED TO THE OBJECTIVE OF SOCIAL REINTEGRATION RATHER THAN RIGID PUNISHMENT, WITH JUDGES ATTEMPTING TO UNDERSTAND THE TOTAL CIRCUMSTANCES AFFECTING OFFENDERS AND TO COOPERATE CLOSELY WITH LEGISLATORS IN IMPROVING THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. THE POSSIBILITIES OPEN TO JUDICIAL AUTHORITIES BECAUSE OF INDIVIDUAL TREATMENT INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY, WITH A HIGHLY DEVELOPED PENAL CODE ALLOWING FOR ALTERNATIVES TO INSTITUTIONALIZATION COMBINED WITH PERIODS OF IMPRISONMENT, AS WELL AS OTHER REFORMS. CURRENTLY, PUNISHMENT CAN BECOME EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY OR BE DELAYED, ACCORDING TO INDIVIDUAL NEEDS. INDIVIDUALIZATION HAS INCREASED JUDICIAL AUTHORITY, BUT THAT POWER IS CONSTRAINED SIMPLY BECAUSE ATTENTION IS FOCUSED ON PERSONS, NOT ACTS. ALSO, INDIVIDUALIZATION HAS CHANGED THE NATURE OF THE JUDICIAL ROLE, IMPLYING THAT JUDGES MUST DETERMINE SENTENCES BASED ON WHAT IS MOST PROMISING FOR SOCIAL REINTEGRATION AND CHANGE THEIR DECISIONS AS OFTEN AS NECESSARY TO BRING ABOUT SUCH REINTEGRATION. FOOTNOTES SUPPLEMENT THE TEXT. --IN FRENCH. (MHP)