Nicole Belloubet, appointed as Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals in June, was in Nice yesterday. It was an opportunity for her to speak about current issues concerning justice in Nice and its region.
A program filled with numerous visits awaited Nicole Belloubet upon her arrival in Nice. After visiting the space dedicated to welcoming victims of the July 14 attack, the Minister of Justice went to the High Court.
She attended the formal hearing of the court, where new magistrates were introduced. “I wanted to come back to be as close as possible to the justice personnel who acted very effectively around the tragedy we shared,” the Keeper of the Seals recalled.
Nicole Belloubet also spoke about the state of the justice budget, which is to be revised upwards by the end of September. “On the 28th, I will detail the new budget with which we hope to start a process that will allow us to give justice the means it needs, notably this year with the creation of a certain number of jobs. I hope to begin bridging the gap in magistrate positions that appear daily in the judiciary.”
The new detention center, a priority issue
The new Keeper of the Seals confirmed, “I will follow the path set by my predecessor Jean-Jacques Urvoas with the construction of a new detention center in Nice, the renovation of the existing one, and the construction of a pre-release neighborhood.”
Let’s remember that the Nice prison, built in 1887, can theoretically accommodate 300 inmates. With three people per cell, it currently houses more than double that number. It is a crisis situation that should soon find a positive resolution according to the Minister of Justice, “we are going to implement the schedule for the 15,000 prison places wanted by the President of the Republic. As I speak to you, it is not completely finalized, but at least my services have assured me that for Nice, it is among the top priorities.”
