Beneficial effect of adjusted sentences on recidivism in France: investigating the hidden role of the judge

Adjusted sentences may be considered as detrimental or favorable to former offenders' re-entry. According to the "labelling theory", alternative-to-incarceration sentences reduce recidivism because they are less stigmatizing than prison. The defenders of the "deterrence theory" consider that they are too soft to prevent people from reoffending. Results from the most recent study conducted in France, show that, after controlling for several characteristics of the former inmates, recidivism is significantly higher among those who had fully served a prison sentence than among those who benefited from an adjusted sentence. However, this does not prove a direct effect of these measures. Beneficiaries may be selected among offenders with lower risks of recidivism. Judges in charge of sentences execution also take into account the socioeconomic environment the inmates will find upon release. In this study, we use a cohort built by the French Ministry of Justice (6,869 inmates followed over 5 years after release) to further investigate this issue. The database includes the information on the court in charge of the inmate's execution of sentence. We use the inter-court disparity in granting adjusted sentences to capture part of the unobserved heterogeneity between inmates and examine how it impacts on the link with recidivism.Les aménagements de peine sont tantôt considérés comme favorables ou défavorables à la réinsertion. Selon la « théorie de l'étiquetage », les peines alternatives à la prison réduisent le risque de récidive parce qu'elles sont moins stigmatisantes. Les défenseurs de la « théorie de la dissuasion » estiment en revanche qu'elles ne sont pas assez dures pour dissuader de commettre une nouvelle infraction. L'étude la plus récente menée en France sur le sujet montre qu'une fois contrôlées plusieurs caractéristiques des anciens détenus, la récidive est significativement plus élevée chez ceux ayant effectué l'intégralité de leur peine en prison que chez ceux ayant bénéficié d'aménagements de peine. Ceci ne fait toutefois pas la preuve d'un effet direct de ces mesures. Ceux qui en bénéficient sont potentiellement sélectionnés parmi ceux ayant les meilleures chances de réinsertion. Les juges en charge de l'exécution des peines prennent aussi en compte l'environnement socio-économique que le détenu trouvera à sa sortie. Nous utilisons les données d'une cohorte constituée par le Ministère de la justice français (6 869 détenus suivis dans les 5 ans suivant leur libération) pour approfondir ces questions. Nous nous appuyons sur la disparité entre tribunaux de grande instance en termes de nombre d'aménagements de peine octroyés pour capter une partie de l'hétérogénéité non-observée entre individus et examiner comment cela modifie le lien avec la récidive

European Sourcebook of Crime and Criminal Justice Statistics 2014

This is the fifth edition of a data collection initiative that started in 1993 under the umbrella of the Council of Europe. As was the case with the earlier editions, it was prepared by an international group of experts, who have recently formed a legal entity called European Sourcebook of Criminal Justice e.V.. The format developed during the earlier editions was maintained, especially the network of national correspondents and regional coordinators whose contribution has, once more, been decisive in collecting and validating data on a variety of subjects from 41 countries. New categories for the collection of data on community sanctions and measures and probation agencies were introduced with the support of the Confederation of European Probation (CEP). In addition, the chapter on victimization surveys for the first time refers to national studies, as no recent international survey was available. The present document covers the years 2007 to 2011 for police, prosecution, conviction and prison statistics, with detailed analyses for 2010

European sourcebook of crime and criminal justice statistics – 2021

This is the sixth edition of a data collection initiative that started in 1993 under the umbrella of the Council of Europe and has been continued since 2000 by an international group of experts that created the European Sourcebook of Criminal Justice e.V.1 and is also a Working Group of the European Society of Criminology. These experts act as regional coordinators of a network of national correspondents whose contribution has been decisive in collecting and validating data on a variety of subjects from 42 countries.2 This edition of the Sourcebook is composed of six chapters. The first five cover the current main types of national crime and criminal justice statistics – police, prosecution, conviction, prison, and probation statistics – for the years 2011 to 2016, providing detailed analysis for 2015. The sixth chapter covers national victimization surveys, providing rates for the main indicators every five years from 1990 to 2015. As with every new edition of the Sourcebook, the group has tried to improve data quality as well as comparability and, where appropriate, increase the scope of data collection. For example, offence definitions were updated to reflect the lessons learned from previous editions.peer-reviewe

Qui ne récidive pas ?

National audienc

Aménagements de peine et moindre récidive

National audienc

Que sait-on de la situation socioéconomique des sortants de prison ?

National audienc

Aménagements de peines et moindre récidive

Les aménagements de peine représentent une mesure de confiance du juge envers le condamné qui effectuera une partie de sa peine privative de liberté sous le régime de la libération conditionnelle, la semi-liberté, le placement à l’extérieur ou en placement sous surveillance électronique. Ces mesures sont généralement décidées pour un faible nombre de personnes à l’exception de la surveillance électronique dont le nombre de placés a fortement augmenté ces dernières années.Le titre de cette com..