Pleading guilty: an overview of the French procedure

Penal reform internationalIn 2015, PRI conducted some preliminary internal research into plea-bargains – an agreement by which the defendant agrees to plead guilty in exchange for a concession from the prosecutor, usually a lesser charge or a reduced sentence. This is agreed upon in advance, approved by a judge, and a full trial is avoided. Over 30 countries operate plea-bargaining systems, although the models vary. During the course of the research, the French system was identified as a comparatively good practice model which avoids some of the abuses identified in other systems. Under the French Penal Code, plea bargaining can be used for minor offences and any sentence of imprisonment proposed in the bargain may not exceed one year. PRI asked Akila Taleb-Karlsson, Lecturer in Criminal Law and Criminal Justice at the Law Faculty of the University of Toulon, to describe the French model