CRPC: France's guilty-plea procedure

The CRPC applies to most misdemeanours (délits), except notably press offences, involuntary homicide, political offences and certain serious sexual offences. It may be proposed by the prosecutor or requested by the accused or their lawyer.

1. Sentence proposal: the prosecutor proposes one or more penalties (any proposed prison term cannot exceed three years, nor half the maximum sentence). The lawyer must assist the person and may discuss the proposal.
2. Approval: if the person accepts (after a possible ten-day reflection period), a sitting judge verifies the reality of the facts, their classification and that the sentence is justified, at a public hearing. The judge approves or refuses — but cannot alter the sentence.

• Advantages: faster and more discreet than a criminal-court hearing, the sentence is known in advance, avoiding the uncertainty of a trial.
• Caution: the admission of facts is final; the approved sentence appears on the criminal record; accepting a proposal without analysis can be unfavourable. A lawyer's view on whether to accept or refuse is decisive.
• If approval or the proposal is refused, the case proceeds through the ordinary route (criminal court), and statements made during the CRPC cannot be used against the person.