Sarkozy's party proposes penal code for young offenders

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP part is proposing a penal code just for young offenders in the run-up to next year's presidential election. The ruling party claims it is needed to tackle rising crime by minors. Critics say it is a pre-election gimmick.

Reuters

UMP head Jean-Francois Copé said at a party meeting on Tuesday that laws need to evolve to address the growing violence of today’s youth, in particular 12 and 13-year olds.

But not everyone agrees, even in the UMP. Ministers and deputies alike said children that  young people should not be treated like adults.

Mathieu Bonduel, secretary-general of the Magistrates Union, dismisses the proposals, saying they bring nothing new to the table.

"They’re talking about giving sentences of community service, which already exist," he told RFI. "We also already provide training on civics. They’re talking about a penal code specifically for minors - but this idea was proposed by a previous justice minister and was dropped."

The idea is "political marketing", exploiting the law-and-order themes deat to the UMP's heart, he says.