Law of FranceModule 7
Criminal law, procedure and sentencing: offences, responsibility, defences, investigation, trial, evidence, penalties, appeals and judicial cooperation
French criminal law is **codified**: the **Penal Code** (1994) defines offences and general principles, and the **Code of Criminal Procedure** (1958) organises the process. Two features set French criminal procedure apart from the common law. First, a serious case may be investigated by an **investigating judge** who searches for evidence **for and against** the suspect, and the judge’s file travels with the case to trial. Second, the trial judge decides on the evidence by a **free evaluation** (*intime conviction*), not by technical rules of admissibility. This module follows a case from the definition of the offence to its investigation, trial, penalty and appeal.
This course explains the law of France, not US law. Rules that look the same elsewhere may be different.
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See what is included in the Courses & AI Lab Pass →General education on French law, using invented people and businesses. It states constitutional provisions, codes and landmark decisions in simplified form, and it is not legal advice. The law changes and every case turns on its facts. Consult a lawyer qualified in France for any real matter.
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