Criminal
An investigating-judge tradition with a Code pénal and Code de procédure pénale
Serious offences are investigated by a juge d'instruction and tried, for crimes, by the cour d'assises or the newer cour criminelle départementale. The parquet directs prosecution and lesser cases go before the tribunal correctionnel.
Key rules
- Offences are graded as contraventions, délits and crimes, fixing the competent court.
- Garde à vue detention is time-limited with a right to a lawyer from the outset.
- Most serious crimes are now tried by professional-judge panels (cour criminelle) below the assize threshold.
Governing law
- Code pénal
- Code de procédure pénale
Penalties and consequences
- Fines and imprisonment graded by classification of the offence
In practice
The juge d'instruction now handles only the most complex cases; most prosecutions run directly through the parquet.