Acquitted: Presumed Innocent, or Deemed Lucky to Have Got Away with It?

Extract

In November, M. Canivet, the First President of the French Cour de cassation, gave a public lecture in Cambridge on la responsabilité du juge, where he described the recourse that modern French law provides for citizens who find themselves ill-served by the legal system. He told us that in France, defendants remanded in custody pending trial now receive automatic compensation if at trial they are acquitted, and that citizens can bring civil claims against the State where they are hurt by the malfunctioning of justice.