Gabriel Attal wants a law “before the end of the year” for immediate appearances from 16 years old

The Prime Minister is traveling to Valencia on Friday for a progress report on his consultations on juvenile delinquency.

Gabriel Attal hoped, Friday May 24, that a bill would be “voted before the end of the year” to establish a form of “immediate appearance” young people from 16 years old. The head of government nevertheless intends “see precisely how we write this measure to respect the constitutional principles of juvenile justice”he detailed to AFP, during a progress report on his consultations on juvenile delinquency.

In April, the Prime Minister announced a series of measures to deal with “addiction to violence” of certain young people, calling for a “surge of authority”. He had launched consultations on the subject and promised a “waypoint” after four weeks, which he does on Friday in Valence (Drôme).

The contours of this immediate appearance from the age of 16, and no longer 18, criticized by magistrates’ unions, remain unclear. Gabriel Attal “hopes that, in certain cases, for example in cases of aggravated violence, when you are over 16 years old, when you are a repeat offender, there can be a procedure, a bit like an immediate appearance”. Such a device would allow “the court decides on both guilt and punishment, immediately after the offense”he emphasizes.

In April, the Prime Minister also insisted on parental responsibility. In this regard, he remains willing, for parents “defaulters”so that the penalty of community service, which already exists as an alternative penalty, can be incurred “as an additional penalty for the offense of evasion by a parent of his or her legal obligations”.

He also intends to develop policies “parenting support”with the experimentation of “parent journey” in ten departments in 2024, aiming for 30% of parents to be supported by 2027, instead of 4% currently.