What is the military training offered by the right in the face of youth violence?

Faced with the proliferation of brawls between young people, the right intends to tackle the problem head-on.

In the columns of

Figaro

, Senator LR Bruno Retailleau proposed the creation of

"short prison sentences"

to be served in

"dedicated centers"

to counter the hyperviolence of offenders.

The deputy of Lot, Aurélien Pradié, guest of the morning on Public Senate, for his part suggested a “

military framework

 ” to channel young delinquents, a “

quick and immediate

 ”

sentence

which would come back to the judge.

Is the idea new?

What does it consist of?

Is it currently being considered by the courts?

Explanations.

• What is

  "

  military supervision"?

It was in 2005, under the Villepin government, that the concept took shape.

The idea of ​​the executive is to put the skills of former soldiers at the service of a section of marginalized youth, in difficulty of integration.

But only on a voluntary basis.

The “

second chance defense

 ” system is then put in place.

Led by the Ministry of Defense, it is part of the continuity of military service and is aimed at young people aged 18 to 21 in a situation of educational and professional failure.

To read also: Faced with brawls between young people, the difficult work of "violence education" of social mediators

The training takes place in public integration establishments in La Défense (Epide), a kind of boarding school created for this purpose.

But of military, education has in reality only the name.

For six to twelve months, the volunteers are taught the principles of good citizenship, recall the school fundamentals, and receive "

behavioral training

 ".

In addition, computer basics, knowledge of first aid or the passage of a driving license are offered.

Nothing disproportionately martial then, except the uniform, strict discipline and the daily salute to the flag.

All at the expense of the State, and paid 300 euros per month.

• Does it already have its place in the penal system?

Until 2011, military supervision remained strictly reserved for volunteers.

Young people, 52% of whom came from sensitive urban areas in 2012, were mainly spotted during the Defense Appeal and Preparation Day (JAPD).

"

But already at that time, many young people accommodated in Epide had a criminal record

 ", specifies in

Figaro

the deputy LR Éric Ciotti, charged under the quinquennium Sarkozy of a report on the execution of the prison sentences.

To read also: Brawls: what is the “ban on appearing” mentioned by the government?

In 2011, the UMP deputy, seduced by the idea of ​​supervising young people through military discipline, proposed to include it in the penal system.

The project is adopted by the Assembly under the name of “

citizen service

 ”.

From now on, in the context, for example, of a suspended sentence and probation, judges can impose a stay in Epide on any offender aged at least 16 years.

During the last months of Nicolas Sarkozy's presidency, the device, with a budget of 10 million euros divided between the Ministry of Justice, the City and Defense, is applied.

In 2012, 166 places, or 10% of the total places, are planned for young delinquents in the Epide, in collaboration with the Judicial Protection of Youth (PJJ).

But its application only lasts a few months.

When the Socialist Party (PS) came to the presidency, the new Minister of Justice Christiane Taubira cut funding for lack of resources.

The measure, without disappearing from the law, then became inoperative.

Read also: Gang war: towards a coordinated criminal response in Île-de-France

• Is it applicable today?

Last October, Éric Dupond-Moretti, Minister of Justice, declared himself in favor of the military supervision of certain minors.

"

I wish [...] a justice-armed partnership for certain minors, for certain young adults,

 " he said on BFMTV, adding that he could not bring himself "

to what young French people whistle La Marseillaise and spit on our flag

 ”.

The minister had however confided that its application was "

technically a little complicated

".

"

But I am working with Florence Parly on these questions

 ", he had attested.

"

The provision still exists in the law,

 " said Eric Ciotti to

Le Figaro,

"

it is just waiting to be applied

 ."

On March 3, after the proliferation of violent fights first in Beaugrenelle, then in Essonne and again in Toulouse, the deputy LR sent a letter to Eric Dupond-Moretti to promote "

military-type supervision

 ", a measure now "

urgent

 ", according to the elected.

Read also: Parental exhaustion: these young parents did not expect such violence

“

It's a simple, quick way to implement.

All the legal tools are there,

 ”insists Aurélien Pradié, questioned by

Le

Figaro

.

"

Faced with increasingly violent adolescents, we need strong re-educational tools

 ", explains number 3 of LR.

"

I do not believe in the choice of prison, where minors mix with common law delinquents and come out more dangerous than they arrived, without any prospect of reintegration

 ".

In addition to the right-wing deputies, several political leaders had already defended military discipline as a favorable means of channeling young people.

During the 2007 and then 2017 presidential campaigns, Ségolène Royal strongly supported the idea, as did the Minister of National Education Jean-Michel Blanquer in 2018, on the sidelines of the #pasdevagues movement, to instill in minors a sense of civility .