In France, of all juvenile offenders prosecuted in criminal cases concluded between 2012 and 2021, 95 per cent were found guilty at first instance by a juvenile court. Of these convicted juveniles, 33 per cent were sentenced to a term of imprisonment (19 per cent of which were unsuspended), and 52 per cent were subject to educational measures for minors (figures calculated by IPP researchers using data from the Cassiopée statistical database). One-third of sentences handed down to juveniles are therefore prison sentences, which is the most common sentence imposed.
The scientific literature in economics is sparse regarding the specific effect of juvenile incarceration on young people’s educational and career trajectories, and is virtually non-existent in France. In light of findings from other contexts involving adult populations – particularly regarding reintegration into the labour market – it is nevertheless reasonable to assume that incarceration could have particularly significant effects on juveniles. Indeed, the deprivation of liberty occurs for them at a crucial stage of identity formation and the accumulation of human capital, a time when these young people might otherwise have been continuing their education or gaining their first work experience. We can therefore expect particularly marked effects on their educational and career trajectories.
