Thanks to a new decree published on Tuesday, victims of domestic violence will now be notified when their violent spouse is released from detention. According to this measure adopted on December 24 and implemented from Tuesday, the judicial authority will have to notify the persons concerned that the spouse is awaiting trial or already sentenced. It must also “expressly provide” for “questioning the need” for surveillance measures for the spouse and protection for the victim.
A month before the publication of the decree, a woman had been killed in Epinay-sur-Seine in the Paris region by her ex-husband released from prison earlier than she thought, after a remission of sentence. The one who apprehended his release according to his relatives, had not been informed.
New measure for anti-reconciliation bracelet
Among the measures envisaged in the decree, the practical details of which should be specified in February: a ban on contacting or appearing in certain places, which may go as far as granting the victim a “serious danger telephone” (device making it possible to urgently request the intervention of the police), or the pronouncement of an anti-reconciliation bracelet measure for the aggressor. It is also a question of “avoiding any break in surveillance”, for example between judicial control and imprisonment.
The judicial authority will also have to ensure that the anti-reconciliation bracelet, withdrawn from a man in the event of incarceration, is well rested in the event of permission to leave or at the time of his release if the measure is still in progress.
As of January 24, 479 men were equipped with anti-reconciliation bracelets and according to the latest figures (end of December), around 2,200 women equipped with “serious danger telephones”. According to a report from the Ministry of the Interior, 146 women were victims of feminicide in 2019, and 102 in 2020. Femicide is the final stage of violence suffered by more than 200,000 women per year.