Making crime pay for the public? France gives seized property to charity.
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Loading... - Daan Dekker
- 13 Apr 2023
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On the rural outskirts of Le Moule, Guadeloupe, sits a luxurious villa. The style is modern but simple. It’s in perfect condition.
Until last year, the house was the home of a criminal convicted of fraud. Now, it is a center dedicated to protecting victims of domestic violence from their abusers, who receive supervision and counseling at the site.
Under normal circumstances, the French nonprofit Judicial Control and Investigation Service (SCJE) would have had to spend months to find such a real estate gem. But it got the keys to the villa last February for a symbolic €1, after answering a call for community projects in search of housing from the French Ministry of Justice’s Agency for the Management and Recovery of Seized and Confiscated Assets (AGRASC).
“It makes things easier for groups like us, and we know there’s a solid plan to back it up,” says Julien Delcourt, director of development and innovation at the Lille-based SCJE, which works to prevent delinquency and recidivism. “Moreover, the object goes from a confiscated asset to something that has meaning for society.”
The SCJE is one of a handful of nonprofits benefiting from a new government initiative that aims to turn crime into goodwill. Since April 2021, the state has donated four pieces of prime real estate once owned by convicted criminals to French charities, and seized millions of euros worth of cars, jewelry, and other merchandise.
Though the scheme involves a long and arduous legal process and some say it should go further, the benefits are paramount. Confiscating assets can be a deterrent to a repeat offense, as many find it even more undesirable than a prison sentence. It also offers an avenue to transform the profits of bad works into good.
“The idea is that the money goes back to the community where it was stolen from,” says Didier Rebut, a criminal law professor at the Université Paris Panthéon-Assas. “Before, the state took the money [from confiscated items] for itself. Now, it can be used for public good. Without a doubt, it’s a virtuous circle.” Read More…
