These graphics presented by the Department of Justice criticized (rightly) – The HuffPost

Ministry of Justice

CRITICS – The Minister of Justice Eric Dupond-Moretti defended this Monday, December 13 the human and budgetary toll of the justice under the five-year term Macron, two days before a national day of mobilization of legal professionals which promises to be massive.

Almost three weeks after a forum of magistrates and clerks crying suffering at work and loss of meaning in their missions and two days before this day of action, the Minister of Justice called a press conference at the Chancellery in order to put, according to him, “certain clocks on time”, in particular on the question of means.

In what he described as an “exercise of truth”, relying on graphs and numerous figures, the minister first tackled “the renunciations and abandonments of the past decades”, and again praised a budget “Historic” for justice since his arrival in the ministry.

In 2022, the budget will be 8.9 billion euros against 6.8 billion euros in 2017, ie “an increase of more than 30% over this five-year period”, recalled Eric Dupond-Moretti.

“We have a sense of proportion at the Ministry of Justice”

Other graphics were shown during this press conference, one of which caused a lot of reaction. It is presented by the director of judicial services Paul Huber and we see two columns: in the first is indicated in a black rectangle the number of magistrates in jurisdiction in September 2017 (7889) and in the second – in the same rectangle overhung by ‘another green rectangle – those present in September 2021 (7889 + 698, an increase of 8.85%).

An evolution of 8.85% therefore, but represented by a green rectangle which seems twice as big as the black with the number of 2017. “The black rectangle represents a value of 7889, the green rectangle represents a value of 698. Or how to transform + 8% into a tripling ”, grumbles lawyer Me Eolas on Twitter.

The black rectangle represents a value of 7889, the green rectangle represents a value of 698. Or how to turn + 8% into a tripling. pic.twitter.com/kA6aQvin5H

– Maitre Eolas (@Maitre_Eolas) December 13, 2021

One internet user had fun modifying the graphic to show what it would look like if it had been done to the right scale. “Obviously, it makes less good,” he laughs while the green rectangle has greatly diminished in size.

“We have a sense of proportion at the Ministry of Justice,” writes journalist Fabrice Arfi, who shows a second graph similar to the first, the scale of which always seems disproportionate.

“Insufficient resources”

Another graphic made people cringe. It is supposed to present “the equipment of the courts” with the installation of optical fiber, wifi or videoconferencing. “With the voice of Fanny Ardant always we are told that we have put the Internet in the courts”, quips a lawyer on Twitter.

According to a diagnosis carried out by the General Inspectorate of Justice, which calculated the impact of the staffing problem on the state of cases not yet tried in the courts, “insufficient resources” is the cause of 31.8% of “stocks” in first instance and 10% of “stocks” in appeal.

“Work continues within the framework of the Estates General of Justice”, launched by the government in mid-October, said Eric Dupond-Moretti.