Gabriel Attal wants to open the debate of possible mitigation to the excuse of minority. This legal principle can already be lifted by a judge in very specific and exceptional cases.
The suspect must be at least 16 years old, his judgment must be used, and the circumstances of the attack must be explained. The law applies to minors "capable of discernment," that is to say, to those who are at least 13 years old. The CJPM considers that minors are capable of clearly judging an act and its consequences. The principle requires that a minor be less severely penalized for an offense than an adult. The minister (Éric Dupond-Moretti, Editor's note) will work on it and reflect in the coming weeks with the stakeholders, to open this debate, he said. The Prime Minister announced a series of measures to combat violence by minors two weeks after the death of Shemseddine in front of his college in Viry-Châtillon.