Go straight to prison! Punish or repair?

Biography

• Thomas Legrand - Journalist, political columnist

  Thomas Legrand is a journalist and political columnist. He writes a daily column for Libération. He is the author of two documentary podcast series: À la hussarde on the great moments of the 2017 presidential election and De Gaulle 2020. His publications include: Shadow feathers. The negroes of politicians (with Emmanuel Faux and Gilles Perez, 1991), Petit dictionnaire énervé de la politique (2010), Ce n’est rien qu’un président qui nous fait perdre du temps (2010), J’aurais voulu faire président (with Philippe Bercovici, 2011), Arrêtons d’élire des présidents! (2014), Chronique de l’imprévu (2017), L’histoire de la^Ve République en BD (2018, with François Warzala), Les Évasions perdues, Stablack, l’université de la collaboration (2024, with François Warzala).

• Gwenola Ricordeau - sociologist, campaigner for the abolition of the penal system

  Gwenola Ricordeau is an abolitionist and feminist activist. She held teaching and research posts in sociology and criminology at various universities in France and the USA, until her resignation in 2025.

  Her research focuses on prisoners’ loved ones, sexuality and gender in prison, and challenges to the penal system. She is the author of Les détenus et leurs proches. Solidarités et sentiments à l’ombre des murs (Autrement, 2008), For all of them. Women against prison (Lux, 2019), Tant qu’il y aura des prisons (Passager clandestin, 2026) and with Joël Charbit and Shaïn Morisse Brique par brique. Une histoire de l’abolitionnisme pénal (Lux, 2024). She edited the books Crimes & Peines. Penser l’abolitionnisme pénal (Grevis, 2021) and 1312 raisons d’abolir la police (Lux, 2023).

• Dominique Simonnot - Controller General of Places of Deprivation of Liberty

  Dominique Simonnot has been Contrôleure générale des lieux de privation de liberté since October 2020. She is a French journalist specializing in judicial affairs.

  Chairwoman of the Société des rédacteurs and the Supervisory Board of Libération, and head of the General Information department from 1995 to 2001, she chronicles court hearings every Monday under the title Carnets de justice. In 2006, she joined Le Canard enchaîné, where she covered, among other things, the same subjects as at Libération, and continued under the title Coup de barre, la chronique des comparutions immédiates. In 2017, her chronicles of the Canard enchainé were adapted for the Théâtre de la Manufacture in Nancy by director Michel Didym, and performed by Bruno Ricci. The play was revived at the Théâtre du Rond-Point in Paris the same year under the title: Comparution immédiate, une justice sociale?

  In 2019, a second adaptation of his chronicles was staged, again at La Manufacture in Nancy, and also revived in January 2020 at Le Rond-Point in Paris.