Decision

Decision no. 2010-9 QPC of 2 July 2010

French section of the International Observatory on Prisons [Article 706-53-21 of the Code of Criminal Procedure]

On May 19th 2010 the Constitutional Council, in the conditions provided for by Article 61-1 of the Constitution, received an application for a priority preliminary ruling on the issue of constitutionality transmitted by the Conseil d'Etat (decision n° 323930 of May 19th 2010), an application lodged by the French section of the International Observatory on Prisons raising the issue of the conformity with constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms of Article 706-53-21 of the Code of Criminal Procedure

THE CONSTITUTIONAL COUNCIL

Having regard to the Constitution;

Having regard to Ordinance n° 58-1067 of November 7th 1958 as amended (Institutional Act on the Constitutional Council);

Having regard to the Code of Criminal Procedure;

Having regard to Act n° 2008-174 of February 25th 2008 pertaining to Post-sentence Preventive Detention and Diminished Criminal Responsibility due to Mental Deficiency and decision n° 2008-562 of the Constitutional Council dated February 21st 2008;

Having regard to Act n° 2010-242 of March 10th 2010 intended to reduce the risk of repeat offending and containing various provisions of criminal procedure, in particular Section 6 thereof;

Having regard to the Regulation of February 4th 2010 as to the procedure applicable before the Constitutional Council with respect to applications for priority preliminary rulings on the issue of constitutionality;

Having regard to the observations on behalf of the French section of the International Observatory on Prisons made by Me Patrice Spinosi, Attorney at the Conseil d'Etat and the Cour de cassation, registered on June 9th 2010;

Having regard to the observations of the Prime Minister, registered on June 9th 2010;

Having regard to the further observations on behalf of the Applicant, registered on June 17th 2010;

Having regard to the other documents produced and appended to the case file;

Attorney Patrick Spinosi for the Applicant and Mrs Cécile Barrois, representing the Prime Minister, were heard by the Council in open court on June 24th 2010;

Having heard the Rapporteur;

ON THE FOLLOWING GROUNDS

  1. Section 1 of the Act of February 25th 2008 referred to above inserted into the Criminal Code Article 706-53-21. Pursuant to section 6 of the Act of March 10th 2010 referred to above this Article has become Article 796-53-22. It provides : "A Decree issued after consultation of the Conseil d'Etat shall specify the manner and conditions of application of this Chapter.
    This Decree shall specify the conditions in which persons held in socio-medico-legal preventive detention centres shall exercise their rights, including as regards employment, education and training, visits, correspondence, practicing of religion and prison leave under escort or mobile electronic surveillance. It shall restrict such rights solely to the extent necessary to comply with the requirements of public order.
    The list of Courts of Appeal in which the regional courts provided for by paragraph 1 of Article 706-53-15 shall sit, and the extent of their territorial jurisdiction, shall be fixed by a Ministerial Order of the Minister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals.

  2. The Applicant contends that, by leaving it to a Decree issued after consultation of the Conseil d'Etat to determine the conditions governing the exercising of the rights of persons held in preventive post-sentence detention centres, Parliament failed to exercise fully the powers vested in it. According to the Prime Minister this provision has already held to be constitutional.

  3. The outcome of the combined provisions of paragraph 3 of section 23-2 of the Ordinance of November 7th 1958 referred to above and the third paragraph of section 23-5 is that no application for a priority preliminary ruling on the issue of constitutionality may be made to the Constitutional Council regarding a provision which has already been held to be constitutional in the grounds and the holding of a decision of the Council, except in the event of a change of circumstances.

  4. An application for a priority preliminary ruling on the issue of constitutionality has been made to the Council under the provisions of Article 61 of the Constitution with respect to the Act of February 25th 2008 referred to above. The Applicants contend that the provisions of section 1 of said statute are unconstitutional. In paragraphs 2 and following of its decision of February 21st 2008 referred to above, the Constitutional Council paid particular attention to this section which "inserts into Title XIX of Book IV of the Code of Criminal Procedure entitled "Procedure applicable to sexual offences and the protection of victims who are minors", a Chapter III entitled "On post-sentence preventive detention and post-sentence preventive surveillance" comprised of Articles 706-53-13 to 706-53-21 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Paragraph 2 of the holding of said decision found section 1 of this statute to be in conformity with the Constitution. Subsequently, Article 706-53-21 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which has since become Article 706-53-22 thereof, was found to be constitutional in the grounds and holding of a decision of the Constitutional Council.

  5. In the absence of any change of circumstances, it is not incumbent upon the Constitutional Council to examine the application for a priority preliminary ruling referred to hereinabove.

HELD

Article 1: It is not incumbent upon the Constitutional Council to give a ruling on the application for a priority preliminary ruling on the issue on constitutionality transmitted by the Conseil d'Etat.

Article 2: This decision shall be published in the Journal officiel of the French Republic and notified in the conditions provided for in Section 23-11 of the Ordinance of November 7th 1958 referred to hereinabove.

Deliberated by the Constitutional Council sitting on July 1st 2010 and composed of Messrs Jean-Louis DEBRE, President, Messrs Jacques BARROT, Michel CHARASSE, Renaud DENOIX de SAINT MARC, Mrs Jacqueline de GUILLENCHMIDT, Messrs Hubert HAENEL, and Mr Pierre STEINMETZ.

Announced on July 2nd 2010.

Les abstracts

  • 11. CONSEIL CONSTITUTIONNEL ET CONTENTIEUX DES NORMES
  • 11.6. QUESTION PRIORITAIRE DE CONSTITUTIONNALITÉ
  • 11.6.2. Critères de transmission ou de renvoi de la question au Conseil constitutionnel

  • 11.6.2.3. Absence de décision antérieure du Conseil constitutionnel (1° de l'article 23-2 Ord. 7/11/1958)

Le Conseil constitutionnel est saisi d'une question prioritaire de constitutionnalité portant sur l'article 706-53-21 du code de procédure pénale.
Le Conseil constitutionnel a été saisi, en application du deuxième alinéa de l'article 61 de la Constitution, de la loi du 25 février 2008 susvisée. Les requérants contestaient la conformité à la Constitution des dispositions de son article 1er. Dans les considérants 2 et suivants de sa décision du 21 février 2008 susvisée, le Conseil constitutionnel a spécialement examiné cet article 1er qui insère notamment l'article 706-53-21 dans le code de procédure pénale. L'article 2 du dispositif de cette décision a déclaré cet article 1er conforme à la Constitution. Par suite, l'article 706-53-21 du code de procédure pénale, devenu son article 706-53-22, a déjà été déclaré conforme à la Constitution dans les motifs et le dispositif d'une décision du Conseil constitutionnel au sens de l'article 23-2 de l'ordonnance° 58-1067 du 7 novembre 1958..
En l'absence de changement des circonstances, il n'y a pas lieu, pour le Conseil constitutionnel, d'examiner la question prioritaire de constitutionnalité susvisée.

(2010-9 QPC, 02 July 2010, cons. 3, 4, 5, Journal officiel du 3 juillet 2010, page 12120, texte n° 90)
  • 11. CONSEIL CONSTITUTIONNEL ET CONTENTIEUX DES NORMES
  • 11.8. SENS ET PORTÉE DE LA DÉCISION
  • 11.8.7. Autorité des décisions du Conseil constitutionnel
  • 11.8.7.1. Hypothèses où la chose jugée est opposée
  • 11.8.7.1.1. Contentieux des normes

  • 11.8.7.1.1.4. Contentieux de l'article 61-1 (contrôle a posteriori)

Le Conseil constitutionnel est saisi d'une question prioritaire de constitutionnalité portant sur l'article 706-53-21 du code de procédure pénale.
Le Conseil constitutionnel a été saisi, en application du deuxième alinéa de l'article 61 de la Constitution, de la loi du 25 février 2008 susvisée. Les requérants contestaient la conformité à la Constitution des dispositions de son article 1er. Dans les considérants 2 et suivants de sa décision du 21 février 2008 susvisée, le Conseil constitutionnel a spécialement examiné cet article 1er qui insère notamment l'article 706-53-21 dans le code de procédure pénale. L'article 2 du dispositif de cette décision a déclaré cet article 1er conforme à la Constitution. Par suite, l'article 706-53-21 du code de procédure pénale, devenu son article 706-53-22, a déjà été déclaré conforme à la Constitution dans les motifs et le dispositif d'une décision du Conseil constitutionnel au sens de l'article 23-2 de l'ordonnance° 58-1067 du 7 novembre 1958.
En l'absence de changement des circonstances, il n'y a pas lieu, pour le Conseil constitutionnel, d'examiner la question prioritaire de constitutionnalité susvisée.

(2010-9 QPC, 02 July 2010, cons. 3, 4, 5, Journal officiel du 3 juillet 2010, page 12120, texte n° 90)
À voir aussi sur le site : Communiqué de presse, Commentaire, Dossier documentaire, Décision de renvoi CE, Références doctrinales, Vidéo de la séance.