Froment, Jean-Charles <br/><br/>
French Penitentiary Reform: Timeless Debates, Cyclical Changes 

 -  2011.<br/>							 
<br/><br/> 27 
<br/><br/> Debate about penitentiary reform in France is ongoing. It has nonetheless crystalized recently over the legislative climate, specifically the penitentiary law (2009-1436) of November 24, 2009. If the adoption of this law incontestably symbolizes an essential point in the evolution of the French penal system, it does not finalize reform. While this law is at the center of this study, its analysis is not. Instead, this article measures how the law translates – or not – into more substantial changes in society’s relationship to the penitentiary system.