Immediate appearance (comparution immédiate) is a prosecution procedure provided for by Articles 393 et seq. of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
It is an emergency procedure, decided by the public prosecutor, that follows directly on from police custody: the suspect is taken straight from the place of custody to the criminal court to be tried.
Before the criminal court, the person may choose to be tried on the spot or ask for more time to prepare their defense. If they make this request, which is granted as of right, the hearing is postponed, in principle by two to six weeks.
In the meantime, the court rules on security measures: it decides whether the defendant remains free, is placed under judicial supervision, or is remanded in custody.
This emergency procedure carries significant stakes. The assistance of a lawyer is necessary to detect any procedural defects and to build a strategic defense suited to the person's situation.
Maître Maximilien Fourt very regularly appears before the courts of the Île-de-France region (Paris, Bobigny, Créteil, Nanterre, Pontoise, Versailles, Évry, Meaux, Melun…) and throughout France.
