The Ministry of Justice is controlled by the French Minister of Justice - Keeper of the Seals (Ministre de la Justice - Garde des Sceaux), a top-level cabinet position in the French Government. The current Minister of Justice is Jean-Jacques Urvoas. The ministry is headquartered in Paris.
The roles of the minister are to:
oversee the building, maintenance and administration of courts;
sit as vice-president of the judicial council (which oversees the judicial performance and advises on prosecutiorial performance);
supervise public prosecutions;
direct corrections and the prison system
propose legislation affecting civil or criminal law or procedure.
The Minister of Justice also holds the ceremonial office of Keeper of the Seals and, as such, is custodian of the Great Seal of France. This symbolic role is still shown in the order of words of the minister's official designation, "Keeper of Seals, Minister of Justice" (Garde des Sceaux, Ministre de la Justice).
Bureaus and offices
The French Ministry of Justice is subdivided into a number of departments, namely:
Cabinet du ministre – Cabinet to the Minister
Secrétariat général – Administration
Inspection Générale des Services Judiciaires (IGSJ) – Office of Inspector General
Direction des Services Judiciaires (DSJ) – Office of Court Administration
Direction des Affaires civiles et du Sceau (DACS) – Office of Civil Justice
Direction des affaires criminelles et des grâces (DACG) – Office of Public Prosecutions
French Prison Service (Direction de l'administration pénitentiaire (DAP) – "Bureau of Correctionary Administration")
Direction de la protection judiciaire de la jeunesse (DPJJ) – Office of Juvenile Justice
Service de contrôle budgétaire et comptable ministériel (SDM) – Office of Accounting and Budget
In 2010 the prisons in the French Prison Service has one of the highest rates of prisoner suicide in Europe.
Marguerite-Louis-François Duport-Dutertre, 1790–1792
Jean Marie Roland de la Platière, March–April, 1792
Antoine Duranton, April–July, 1792
Étienne Dejoly, July–August, 1792
Georges Jacques Danton, August–October, 1792
Dominique Joseph Garat, 1792–1793
Louis Gohier, 1793–1794
Philippe-Antoine Merlin de Douai, 1795–1796
Jean Joseph Victor Génissieu, January–April, 1796
Philippe Antoine Merlin de Douai, 1796–1797
Charles Joseph Lambrechts, 1797–1799
Jean Jacques Régis de Cambacérès, July–December, 1799
André Joseph Abrial, 1799–1802
Claude Ambroise Régnier, duc de Massa, 1802–1813
Mathieu Louis Molé, 1813–1814
Pierre Paul Nicolas Henrion de Pansey, April–May, 1814
Charles-Henri Dambray, 1814–1815
Jean Jacques Régis de Cambacérès, March–June, 1815
Antoine Boulay de la Meurthe, June–July, 1815
Étienne-Denis Pasquier, July–September, 1815
François de Barbé-Marbois, 1815–1816
Charles-Henri Dambray, 1816–1817
Étienne-Denis Pasquier, 1817–1818
Pierre François Hercule de Serre, 1818–1821
Charles Ignace de Peyronnet, 1821–1828
Joseph Marie Portalis, 1828–1829
Pierre Bourdeau, May–August 1829
Jean de Courvoisier, 1829–1830
Jean de Chantelauze, May–July, 1830
Jacques Charles Dupont de l'Eure, July–December, 1830
Joseph Mérilhou, 1830–1831
Félix Barthe, 1831–1834
Jean-Charles Persil, 1834–1836
Paul Jean Pierre Sauzet, February–September, 1836
Jean-Charles Persil, 1836–1837
Félix Barthe, 1837–1839
Amédée Girod de l'Ain, March–May, 1839
Jean-Baptiste Teste, 1839–1840
Alexandre-François Vivien, March–October, 1840
Nicolas Martin du Nord, 1840–1847
Michel Hébert, 1847–1848
Adolphe Crémieux, February–June, 1848
Eugène Bethmont, June–July, 1848
Alexandre Marie, July–December, 1848
Eugène Rouher, 1847–1851
Eugène Corbin, October–November, 1851
Alfred Daviel, November–December, 1851
Eugène Rouher, 1851–1852
Jacques Pierre Abbatucci, 1852–1857
Paul de Royer, 1857–1859
Claude Delangle, 1859–1863
Pierre Jules Baroche, 1863–1869
Jean-Baptiste Duvergier, 1869–1870
Émile Ollivier, January–August 1870
Michel Grandperret, August–September, 1870
Adolphe Crémieux, 1870–1871
Jules Dufaure, 1871–1873
Jean Ernoul, May–November, 1873
Octave Depeyre, 1873–1874
Adrien Tailhand, 1874–1875
Jules Dufaure, 1875–1876
Louis Martel, 1876–1877
Albert, duc de Broglie, May–November, 1877
François Le Pelletier, November–December, 1877
Jules Dufaure, 1877–1879
Philippe Le Royer, February–December, 1879
Jules Cazot, 1879–1882
Gustave Humbert, January–August, 1882
Paul Devès, 1882–1883
Félix Martin-Feuillée, 1883–1885
Henri Brisson, 1885–1886
Charles Demôle, January–December, 1886
Ferdinand Sarrien, 1886–1887
Charles Mazeau, May–November, 1887
Armand Fallières, 1887–1888
Jean-Baptiste Ferrouillat, 1888–1889
Jean François Edmond Guyot Dessaigne, February, 1889
François Thévenet, 1889–1890
Armand Fallières, 1890–1892
Louis Ricard, February–December, 1892
Léon Bourgeois, 1892–1893
Jules Develle, March, 1893
Léon Bourgeois, March–April, 1893
Eugène Guérin, April–December, 1893
Antonin Dubost, 1893–1894
Eugène Guérin, 1894–1895
Ludovic Trarieux, January–November, 1895
Louis Ricard, 1895–1896
Jean-Baptiste Darlan, 1896–1897
Victor Milliard, 1897–1898
Ferdinand Sarrien, June–November, 1898
Georges Lebret, 1898–1899
Ernest Monis, 1899–1902
Ernest Vallé, 1902–1905
Joseph Chaumié, 1905–1906
Ferdinand Sarrien, March–October, 1906
Jean François Edmond Guyot Dessaigne, 1906–1907
Aristide Briand, 1908–1909
Louis Barthou, 1909–1910
Théodore Girard, 1910–1911
Antoine Perrier, March–June, 1911
Jean Cruppi, 1911–1912
Aristide Briand, 1912–1913
Louis Barthou, January–March, 1913
Antony Ratier, March–December, 1913
Jean-Baptiste Bienvenu-Martin, 1913–1914
Alexandre Ribot, June, 1914
Jean Bienvenu-Martin, June–August, 1914
Aristide Briand, 1914–1915
René Viviani, 1915–1917
Raoul Péret, September–November, 1917
Louis Nail, 1917–1920
Gustave L'Hopiteau, 1920–1921
Laurent Bonnevay, 1921–1922
Louis Barthou, January–October, 1922
Maurice Colrat, 1922–1924
Edmond Lefebvre du Prey, March–June, 1924
Antony Ratier, June, 1924
René Renoult, 1924–1925
Théodore Steeg, April–October, 1925
Anatole de Monzie, October, 1925
Camille Chautemps, October–November, 1925
René Renoult, 1925–1926
Pierre Laval, March–July 1926
Maurice Colrat, July, 1926
Louis Barthou, 1926–1929
Lucien Hubert, 1929–1930
Théodore Steeg, February–March, 1930
Raoul Péret, March–November 1930
Henry Chéron, 1931
Léon Bérard, 1931–1932
Paul Reynaud, February–June, 1932
René Renoult, June–December 1932
Abel Gardey, 1932–1933
Eugène Penancier, January–October, 1933
Albert Dalimier, October–November 1933
Eugène Raynaldy, 1933–1934
Eugène Penancier, January–February, 1934
Henry Chéron, February–October, 1934
Henry Lémery, October–November, 1934
Georges Pernot, 1934–1935
Léon Bérard, 1935–1936
Marc Rucart, 1936–1937
Vincent Auriol, 1937–1938
César Campinchi, January–March 1938
Marc Rucart, March–April, 1938
Paul Reynaud, April–November 1938
Paul Marchandeau, 1938–1939
Georges Bonnet, 1939–1940
Albert Sérol, March–June 1940
Charles Frémicourt, June–July 1940
Raphaël Alibert, 1940–1941
Joseph Barthélémy, 1941–1943
Maurice Gabolde, 1943–1944
René Cassin, September 1941 – June 1943
Jules Abadie, June–September, 1943
François de Menthon, 1943–1944
François de Menthon, 1944–1945
Pierre-Henri Teitgen, 1945–1946
Paul Ramadier, 1946–1947
André Marie, 1947–1948
Robert Lecourt, July–September 1948
André Marie, 1948–1949
Robert Lecourt, February–October 1949
René Mayer, 1949–1951
Edgar Faure, 1952–1952
Léon Martinaud-Déplat 1952–1953
Paul Ribeyre, 1953–1954
Émile Hugues, June–September 1954
Jean Michel Guérin du Bosq de Beaumont, 1954–1955
Emmanuel Temple, January–February 1955
Robert Schuman, 1955–1956
François Mitterrand, 1956–1957
Édouard Corniglion-Molinier, February–June 1957
Robert Lecourt, 1957–1958
Michel Debré, 1958–1959
Edmond Michelet, 1959–1962
Bernard Chenot, 1961–1962
Jean Foyer, 1962–1967
Louis Joxe, 1968
René Capitant, 1968–1969
Jean-Marcel Jeanneney, April–June, 1969
René Pleven, 1969–1973
Jean Taittinger, 1973–1974
Jean Lecanuet, 1974–1976
Olivier Guichard, 1976–1977
Alain Peyrefitte, 1977–1981
Maurice Faure, May–June 1981
Robert Badinter, 1981–1986
Michel Crépeau, February–March, 1986
Albin Chalandon, 1986–1988
Pierre Arpaillange, 1988–1990
Henri Nallet, 1990–1992
Michel Vauzelle, 1992–1993
Pierre Méhaignerie, 1993–1995
Jacques Toubon, 1994–1997
Élisabeth Guigou, 1997–2000
Marylise Lebranchu, 2000–2002
Dominique Perben, 2002–2005
Pascal Clément, 2005–2007
Rachida Dati, 2007–2009
Michèle Alliot-Marie, 2009–2010
Michel Mercier, 2010–2012
Christiane Taubira, 2012–2016
Jean-Jacques Urvoas, 2016-
