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France Sets 2026 Bill to Toughen Drug-Trafficking Sentences and Curb Early Release

Parliament will examine the package in early 2026 after a symbolic lower-house vote signaled backing.

Overview

  • Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the measures will be folded into the Justice Ministry’s “Sure” bill for examination in the first half of 2026.
  • The draft would align sentence reductions and conditional release for traffickers with terrorist rules, bar temporary leaves for high-security inmates, delay sentence adjustments until two-thirds served, and cap reductions at one third.
  • Deputies approved the government’s declaration in a nonbinding vote following the Assembly debate, with a similar discussion scheduled in the Senate.
  • Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin pledged a decree before mid-January creating a “repenti” status for cooperating offenders, while Health Minister Stéphanie Rist plans a national prevention campaign in Q1 2026.
  • Funding and staffing hinge on the 2026 budget that provides 700 judicial posts, including 300 dedicated to narcotraffic cases, as ministers flag recruitment strains in the justice sector.