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