1.6
Distribution of Convicted Persons according to the Duration of the
Sentence being served (including reduced sentencing without
accommodation)
Source: Quarterly Statistics of the Population dealt with in Penal Institutions, French Ministry
of Justice, Prisons Administration Department, PMJ5.
Field: all persons imprisoned; 1970-1980, penal institutions in Metropolitan France, France
and its overseas territories from 1980 (progressive inclusion of French overseas territories as
from 1990, completed in 2003).
Year
Duration of the sentence: number of prisoners
3 to less
1 to less
Less than
5 years
All convicted
than 5
1 year
and more
prisoners
than 3 years
years
Percentage distribution
1 to less
3 to less
Less than 1
than 3
than 5
year
years
years
5 years
and
more
1970
6,239
5,459
1,660
4,616
17,974
34.7%
30.4%
9.2%
25.7%
1980
7,210
5,169
1,713
5,324
19,416
37.1%
26.6%
8.8%
27.4%
1980
7,427
5,316
1,791
5,662
20,196
36.8%
26.3%
8.9%
28.0%
1990
6,992
5,913
3,084
8,642
24,631
28.4%
24.0%
12.5%
35.1%
2000
8,365
6,766
4,139
13,856
33,126
25.3%
20.4%
12.5%
41.8%
2010
17,445
14,174
5,628
13,442
50,689
34.4%
28.0%
11.1%
26.5%
2011
17,535
14,780
5,709
13,248
51,272
34.2%
28.8%
11.1%
25.8%
2012
20,641
17,226
6,202
13,428
57,497
35.9%
30.0%
10.8%
23.4%
2013
21,961
18,169
6,647
13,563
60,340
36.4%
30.1%
11.0%
22.5%
2014
22,213
18,288
6,868
13,902
61,261
36.3%
29.9%
11.2%
22.7%
2015
22,078
17,583
7,122
13,959
60,742
36.3%
28.9%
11.7%
23%
Note: This analysis of those sentenced includes those whose sentence has been reduced,
without accommodation. On 1 January 2015, out of the 60,742 sentenced to imprisonment, 12,689
were not detained under reduction of sentence and 2,659 were in day parole or placed in external
accommodation. Therefore 45,394 of those sentenced were detained without reduction of
sentence: the analysis of this group by the quantum of sentence being carried out is not shown by
this statistical source.
Comments: This table shows the trend reversing from 2000. During the last three decades
of the 20th century, the growth in the number of those imprisoned serving long sentences was
constant and marked. The voluntary policy of developing the reduction of short sentences (firstly
less than one year and then less than two years) following regrowth in short sentencing
demonstrated by the statistics of sentencing, whilst long sentences have stabilised at a high level.
The reconciliation between counting movements and those in stock shows that the average
duration of imprisonment doubled between 1970 and 2008 (2009 CGLPL Report, Page 251, note
2 in the French version). Indicators then continued to increase to 10.4 months in 2013. This
increase is confirmed for the average duration of detention within its strict meaning: this increased
from 8.6 months in 2006 to 11.5 months in 2013 (DAP-PMJ5.2014).
123
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