The Major Changes in the Status of Victims in the French Criminal Justice System.

Conference by Franck Mbarga Nguele.
Thursday, April 17, 2025, from 4:00 PM to 5:15 PM.
Room C-2059, Pavillon Lionel-Groulx, University of Montreal and via Zoom.

Registration required for in-person attendance.

Registration for Zoom.

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Summary:

Originally, the notion of the victim was foreign to criminal law, and its meaning was not what we know today. Indeed, it referred to a creature offered as a sacrifice to the gods, rooted in the Judeo-Christian heritage and the pagan practices of archaic societies. Thus, throughout history, particularly within Western society, the concept of the victim has undergone a multitude of statuses and situations, warranting an in-depth study. From the victim who was almost insignificant to today's active and assertive victim, it is undeniable that their condition has evolved significantly.

In the French criminal justice system, this evolution has led to a profound transformation of the legal order, bringing about major changes in the status of the victim. In this context, the recent revaluation of the victim’s role in criminal proceedings follows a trajectory with a less than glorious past, whose various stages leading to the current status deserve exploration.

Therefore, how have the different transformations of the victim’s status unfolded, and what are the underlying issues of this evolution within the French criminal system? This presentation aims to address these two key questions.

Biography :

Franck Mbarga Nguele

PhD student at the University of Haute-Alsace, France. Holder of a Master's degree in Criminal Law and Criminal Sciences from the University of Strasbourg (2017). Since 2021, he has been pursuing a doctorate at the Doctoral College of the University of Haute-Alsace. In 2024, he joined the association Viaduq France Victimes as a legal advisor assisting victims of criminal offenses.