General interest work (TIG)

Verified 11 March 2025 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

You're being sued for a offense liable to imprisonment or imprisonment for a term of contravention 5th class ? Criminal courts may order you to perform community service (GIT) if you don't mind. TIG is a job volunteer which allows you to reinsert yourself participating in a professional activity relevant to the business. We present you with the information you need to know.

TIG is a punishment that involves working a certain number of hours unpaid serving the community.

For example, you volunteer for a public organization or an association.

The TIG may be pronounced as:

  • Principal penalty (e.g. damage to public property)
  • Alternative sentence
  • Additional penalty (for example, in cases of violence that resulted in total incapacity for work not more than 8 days).

You can be sentenced to a TIG if the following 3 conditions are met:

Please note

The TIG can also be pronounced in the context of a probation stay.

At the end of the hearing, the court that judges you may decide to set up a TIG.

If you are present at the hearing, the Chairman of the Tribunal (or the children's judge) informs you that you can accept or refuse the TIG.

If your lawyer appears without you at the hearing, he or she can forward your response to the President with a signed letter from you.

The court wait for your answer to pronounce the TIG.

FYI  

If you are major, the TIG may exceptionally be decided by the application Sentence Judge (Jap) after the hearing. In this case, you have to give your approval to Jap.

If you refuse to perform the TIG and it is a alternative penalty, the court may enforce the penalty of imprisonment or fine initially imposed.

The TIG must be carried out within a period fixed by the court which has decided on that penalty.

This period may not exceed 18 months.

The deadline may be temporarily suspended if you are unable to complete the TIG for one of the following reasons:

  • Serious medical, family, professional or social reason (e.g. illness, death, business travel)
  • You're under house arrest with electronic surveillance
  • You are placed in pretrial detention
  • You are running a custodial sentence
  • You have to make your national service.

In the event of a suspension, the TIG resumes for the amount of time you had to complete before the time limit was suspended.

Working conditions

If you are an adult, the director of the Prison Service for Insertion and Probation (SPIP), or if he so wishes, Jap, shall decide:

  • From the organization with which you will perform the TIG
  • Work or work you will do
  • Work schedules to which you will be subject.

If you are a minor, these working conditions are specified by the territorial director of the judicial protection of young people.

FYI  

These authorities also ensure that your working conditions are adapted to the rules applicable to all workers (night work, health and safety rules, etc.).

Organizations in charge of TIG

You may need to complete a TIG for one of the following:

  • Community or public institution (e.g. prefecture, hospital, town hall)
  • Private body with a public service mission (e.g. public transport business or social utility company)
  • Association (for example, a Victims' Association).

FYI  

Private bodies and associations wishing to propose works of general interest must be authorized by the Director of the SPIP: titleContent the department in which they are located.

Types of work performed

The TIG may consist of performing one of the following tasks:

  • Improvements to the natural environment (e.g. gardening)
  • Vandalism damage repair work (e.g. painting)
  • Heritage maintenance work (e.g. restoring a historic building)
  • Accompaniment for victims (for example, victims of road accidents if you have committed a offense road transport)
  • Solidarity work (e.g. support for the elderly, the disadvantaged).

The jurisdiction that determines the work to be done chooses a position adapted to your personal situation and favorable to your reintegration into business.

If you are a minor, it must also take into account the training nature of this professional activity.

TIG Duration

The duration of the TIG is chosen by the court that convicted you or by the application sentence judge.

This authority must comply with the minimum and maximum periods laid down on the basis of the offense clerical.

Tableau - Duration of the TIG depending on the offense committed

Duration

Contravention

Offense

Minimum Duration

20 hours

20 hours

Maximum Duration

120 hours

400 hours

FYI  

If you are employed, you must perform the TIG outside of your working hours.

The durum weekly total work (professional activity + TIG) may not exceed 47 hours.

Lack of remuneration of the TIG

TIG is a job unpaid.

In addition, it does not give rise to reimbursement of the costs of the work carried out (e.g. transport and/or meal costs).

In addition to carrying out work of general interest, you are certain obligations.

The obligations applicable to adults are not the same as those applicable to minors.

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Major

The obligations to be met in addition to the performance of a TIG are as follows:

  • Respond to summonses from the Jap or the penitentiary service for insertion and probation (SPIP)) on which you depend
  • Receive visits from the IPPC and provide it with information or documents to justify that you are meeting your obligations
  • Notify the penitentiary service of insertion and probation of your job changes
  • Notify SPIP of your changes of residence
  • Notify the SPIP of any travel that exceeds 15 days and report your return
  • Obtain prior authorization from the application Sentence Judge for any change of job or residence, where such change may impede the performance of your obligations
  • Inform the Jap: titleContent of any travel abroad.

The entire duration of the TIG, you are followed by a penitentiary insertion and probation counselor.

It shall inform the application Sentence Judge (Jap) in case of an incident, if you do not perform your work properly or if you do not comply with the obligations to which you are subject.

Minor

The obligations to be met in addition to the performance of a TIG are as follows:

For the entire duration of the TIG, you are followed by the Director of the Youth Judicial Protection Service on which you depend.

It informs the judge of the children in case of an incident, if you do not perform your TIG properly or if you do not respect the obligations to which you are subject.

Please note

If he wishes, the juvenile judge can follow you instead of the director of the youth judicial protection service.

If no incident has occurred during the performance of the TIG, you are released from your obligations.

However, if you have not complied with the obligations under the TIG, you will be subject to sanctions.

TIG accomplished without incident

The TIG ceases as soon as the work to which you have been assigned is fully completed.

If the TIG is completed on time, the person who employs you must provide you with a document certifying that you have done your job well.

Please note

This justification shall also be sent to the CPIP: titleContent that follows you.

After the handing over of this document, your sentence is considered executed and you are no longer subject to any obligation.

Occurrence of an incident

If the TIG was pronounced as principal penalty or complementary, penalties may be imposed.

These sanctions differ from those applicable to the TIG pronounced as alternative penalty or as part of a probation stay.

Principal or additional penalty

If you fail to comply with the obligations of a TIG, you will be liable to a penalty of 2 years imprisonment and €30,000 fine.

Alternative sentence

The Jap: titleContent may decide to carry out all or part of the penalty prescribed by the court (fine or imprisonment).

This sentence may not exceed the maximum of penalty incurred for theinfringement committed, up to 2 years imprisonment and €30,000 fine.

Example :

You committed a robbery. The penalty is 3 years imprisonment and €45,000 of fine. Nevertheless, the correctional court decided to subject you to a TIG.

If you fail to comply with the obligations of the TIG, the court cannot sentence you to 3 years imprisonment and €45,000 of fine. He can only hand down a sentence of less than or equal to 2 years imprisonment and €30,000 fine.

TIG in the context of a stay of probation

If the TIG was pronounced as part of a probation stay and you didn't accomplish it, the Jap: titleContent may decide to revoke the suspension.

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