Glossary of French criminal law

French criminal procedure has its own vocabulary. Here are the terms you will hear most often, with the French word and a plain-English explanation.

Aménagement de peine (sentence adjustment): serving a prison sentence other than in prison (electronic tagging at home, day release, parole).
Audition libre (voluntary interview): questioning of a suspect who is not held and may leave at any time.
Casier judiciaire (criminal record): record of convictions. Bulletin no. 1 is for the courts only, no. 2 for certain authorities and employers, no. 3 for the person themselves.
Chambre de l’instruction (investigation appeals chamber): court hearing appeals against decisions of the investigating judge and the liberty and detention judge.
Citation directe (direct summons): the victim brings the case before the court directly, without going through the prosecutor.
Classement sans suite (case dropped): the prosecutor’s decision not to prosecute.
Comparution immédiate (immediate trial): fast-track trial at the end of police custody.
Contrôle judiciaire (judicial supervision): obligations imposed on a person left free pending trial (reporting, not leaving the country, not meeting certain people).
CRPC (guilty plea procedure): the prosecutor proposes a sentence which the person accepts with their lawyer.
Déferrement (referral): bringing a person before the prosecutor or a judge at the end of police custody.
Détention provisoire (pre-trial detention): imprisonment of a person who has not yet been finally tried.
Écrou (prison register number): number given to each prisoner, needed to write to or visit them.
Garde à vue (police custody): holding a suspect at a police station for questioning, generally up to 48 hours.
Information judiciaire / instruction (judicial investigation): investigation led by an investigating judge in serious or complex cases.
JLD (liberty and detention judge): judge who decides in particular on pre-trial detention.
JAP (sentence enforcement judge): judge who supervises how sentences are served and adjusts them.
Mis en examen (formally placed under investigation): person against whom there is serious or consistent evidence, in a judicial investigation.
Nullité (procedural nullity): a procedural irregularity that may lead to investigative acts being annulled.
Ordonnance pénale (criminal order): conviction without a hearing, which can be challenged by objection.
Partie civile (civil party): a victim claiming compensation in the criminal proceedings.
Prescription (limitation period): time after which an offender can no longer be prosecuted.
Prévenu (defendant): person prosecuted before the criminal court.
Procureur de la République (public prosecutor): magistrate who directs investigations and decides on prosecution.
Réquisitions (prosecution submissions): sentence requested by the prosecutor at the hearing.
Sursis (suspended sentence): sentence whose enforcement is suspended, subject to conditions.
Témoin assisté (assisted witness): status between witness and person under investigation, with a lawyer’s assistance.

A term in your case is unclear? Ask us: +33 7 75 72 74 27, 24/7, or contact@barssie-avocats.com.

General information, up to date as of October 2026. It does not replace advice tailored to your situation.