Comparution immédiate : juger vite, juger mieux

A knife attack for an insult, a beating for honking a car horn… Nearly 800 cases of gratuitous violence are reported every day in France. In 2017, the figures reached record highs. To try the most serious offenses, judges have an emergency procedure at their disposal: immediate appearance. In Nîmes, the number of these cases increased by 35% between 2016 and 2017. This procedure allows perpetrators to be tried immediately after their police custody, sometimes on the same day. These are hearings where defendants and victims come face to face, still deeply affected by the events. We were exceptionally granted access to the Nîmes courthouse to film and attend these trials. A beating for honking a car horn… The victim, a 26-year-old man, was brutally beaten with an iron bar. A mechanic, he is not sure he will ever regain the use of one of his hands. This act of rare violence, Judge Christine Ruellan dubbed “The Clockwork Orange Case.” The victim survived thanks to the courageous intervention of a firefighter. “I saw the hatred in their eyes; I had never seen such an outburst of violence. If I hadn’t intervened, they would have ended up killing this poor young man,” he testified in court. In the courtroom, Lorraine Dorlhac, the Public Prosecutor, listened attentively to the parties present. During the trial, where she represented the interests of society, she reminded the court that “these are acts that could happen to any one of us, since in our society, honest people are expected to keep a low profile.” During her closing arguments, she requested exemplary punishments for the two assailants. In France, a woman dies every three days at the hands of her partner. There are an estimated 250,000 victims of domestic violence. Less than 15% dare to file a complaint. Jeanne is one of them. Her husband, previously unknown to the justice system, held her captive, humiliated her, and beat her all night. The young woman, in a rare act of defiance, had the courage to confront him in court. Will she be able to withstand her husband's apologies, who, according to his lawyer, "loves her. Loves her badly, but loves her nonetheless"? Finally, we followed the legal proceedings of a young offender from his initial detention to his trial. At a gas station, he stabbed a former colleague, claiming he was "defending himself after an insult." During questioning, the police discovered that the victim might not be one at all… How will Prosecutor Lorraine Dorlhac and Judge Christine Ruellan apply the law in this complex case? In Nîmes, this significant crime rate and the resulting convictions have a direct impact on prison overcrowding. At the remand prison, it has reached a 230% increase. “With nearly 100 mattresses on the floor,” laments Florence Sylvestre, the sentencing judge. Alongside her, we met Léa, 26, a drug addict, sentenced a few months ago in an expedited hearing for robbery with violence. To gradually reintegrate into society, she asked Florence Sylvestre for semi-liberty. Will the judge be receptive to the young woman's arguments? Join judges, prosecutors, police officers, and victims as they delve into the judicial system of Nîmes.