Khaberni - Rights organizations accused the French police of using the system of immediate criminal fines to target boys and young men perceived as black, Arab, or of North African origins, exacerbating social and economic exclusion in working-class neighborhoods.
"Human Rights Watch," "Reclaim," and "The Community House for Solidarity Development" stated that the police issue immediate fines for alleged offenses related to public disorder, such as noise, littering, and illegal dumping of unhealthy fluids, to harass these young men and keep them away from public spaces in their neighborhoods while they were engaging in normal activities such as talking in front of their homes or playing sports in parks.
According to a report by the organizations, these fines are imposed based on personal judgments by police officers, without judicial oversight, and the fined individuals are not afforded fundamental guarantees of a fair trial. The law considers incidents reports made by police officers as accurate until proven otherwise, and the appeal process is fraught with obstacles, with most appeals rejected.
The organizations documented cases where children and young people received fines that accumulated to tens of thousands of euros, ranging from 1600 euros (about 1728 dollars) to 37 thousand euros (about 40 thousand dollars), while social workers stated they know cases that reached up to 50 thousand euros (about 54 thousand dollars). The report mentioned that these debts led to significant deductions from their salaries and social security allowances, forcing some to choose between paying fines and affording food and housing, leaving formal work, or closing bank accounts, as well as withdrawing from public life for fear of new fines.
The organizations highlighted that the results support previous evidence reported by human rights groups, that the police use immediate fines to alienate non-white youth from public places, labeling them in computer systems as "undesirable". It also linked these practices to the documented discriminatory execution of identity checks and physical searches.
The organizations mentioned that the government does not collect or publish detailed data on these fines that could expose discriminatory practices. They concluded that the fines lead to serious violations of France's obligations in the field of human rights, including the prohibition of racial discrimination, children's rights, and economic and social rights.
The organizations called on the French authorities to repeal three offenses related to public disorder from the criminal law, cancel all accumulated fine debts due to these offenses, and end policies that exclude youth from public spaces. They also recommended adopting community-centered approaches, establishing effective independent monitoring mechanisms for fines, and gathering detailed data to monitor discriminatory practices.
