Protection of victims, support for perpetrators: in the face of domestic violence, the justice system and its partners are mobilized

The president of the judicial court, Catherine Lelong, the senior civil servant for gender equality, Laëtitia Dhervilly, and the public prosecutor of Montpellier, Fabrice Bélargent. – F. A.

The steering committee on domestic violence met in full on Wednesday, December 11, at the Montpellier judicial court. Lawyers, social services, and victim support associations are participating. The president of the court and the public prosecutor presented the measures put in place, in the presence of the senior civil servant for gender equality.

1,701 cases handled in 2023 (compared to 1,557 in 2022), 1,608 people charged, 25% of the grounds for detention at the Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone remand center: domestic violence is a major focus of the Montpellier judicial court. “It has become a mass dispute, which requires haute couture for each case, with the implementation of numerous processes”, observes the public prosecutor, Fabrice Bélargent, who spoke on Wednesday, December 11, at the end of the dedicated steering committee, alongside the president of the court, Catherine Lelong, and the senior civil servant for gender equality, Laëtitia Dhervilly.

Social and health actors…

Steering committees on domestic violence have been created by decree in all judicial courts. “They are a forum for consultation between the judges and the prosecution and all the external actors concerned”, recalls Catherine Lelong. In Montpellier, it includes lawyers and justice commissioners, the services of the Department, the director of the Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone remand center, the youth judicial protection department (PJJ), the CHU, as well as several associations: France victims, l’Avocat et l’enfant, Via Voltaire…

Les réponses pénales

While at the national level, 50% of procedures for domestic violence are closed without further action (due to insufficient evidence, or following a justified withdrawal of the complaint, for example), at the Montpellier judicial court, this figure is only 39%. The criminal responses provided are very often mandatory awareness training courses. A citizen contribution can also be ordered. The perpetrator must pay a sum to the victims' support association. Last year, all types of offences combined, €60,000 was collected, making it possible to finance first aid kits for victims forced to leave their homes.

In cases of prosecution, 20% of cases result in an immediate appearance before the court, and 50% in immediate prison sentences. However, “justice operates with the principle of adversarial proceedings and we are far from the dogma of the sacrosanct word of the victim”, underlines the public prosecutor. 10% of appearances thus result in acquittals.

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“Taking inspiration from best practices”

A magistrate who has long been involved in the fight against violence against women, Laëtitia Dhervilly has been appointed in 2022, by the Keeper of the Seals, senior civil servant for gender equality. She attended yesterday the meeting of the steering committee of the Montpellier judicial court. “My role is to lead public policies in this area, with the primary focus being the fight against domestic violence”. Its mission: to collect”60~em> “feedback on needs, dysfunctions, real problems” in order to guide political decisions. “We have drawn inspiration from best practices, sometimes adopted before the decree creating the steering committees”.

Serious danger telephones, anti-rapprochement bracelets

Among the many devices implemented by the justice system, the serious danger telephones, which allow the victim to raise the alarm. Their stock is “supplied in constant flow”, insists Fabrice Bélargent. 89 people have benefited from it in one year. Montpellier has also been a pilot for anti-rapprochement bracelets given to perpetrators of violence. An option that is incompatible, however, with certain situations, for example when the wearer of the bracelet has to pass near the victim's home to get to work.

Accommodation for perpetrators of violence

Another approach in which the Montpellier court was a pioneer: the eviction of the spouses in question from the family home, without, however, making them desocialized. “Three studios, financed by the State and rented in the private sector, are dedicated to their accommodation. They allow, for a few weeks, the perpetrator of violence to be assessed until their appearance”, indicates the prosecutor. Around fifty people were housed there last year.

Assessing the risk of reoffending

Preparing for release from detention, assessing the risk of reoffending: a major challenge that the steering committee is tackling. Connecting prison guards and victim support associations allows each inmate to be assessed. “We will never achieve zero risk”, deplores the prosecutor, citing the tragedy that occurred last February before the Montpellier judicial court: a woman shot dead by her ex-partner.

Other initiatives in preparation

The steering committee is working on setting up the collection of complaints in hospitals. This system will concern not only the university hospital, but also private establishments. Another project concerns the care of child victims. In consultation with the family court judge and the youth justice system, the aim is to set up an assessment lasting a few days to determine the best option for their accommodation.

On-call lawyers for victims

Another initiative by the judicial court: the establishment of a lawyers' hotline for victims of domestic violence. “There is still a criminal justice hotline for perpetrators, but there was no equivalent on the side of victims", explains the president of the court, Catherine Lelong. "An agreement reached with lawyers and justice commissioners at the end of 2022 has made it possible to re-establish a balance. Thus, it is the same lawyer who follows the victim during the rest of the procedure."

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