Criminal Law procedure + Exercises session with casus

The course in criminal procedure aims to study all the rules relating to the investigation of offences, the identification of their perpetrators, and their trial. It seeks to familiarize students with the actors, sources, and fundamental principles of criminal procedure, and prepares them to address questions such as: Who is entitled to prosecute offenders? How is a criminal investigation conducted, and under what rules? Which courts are competent to judge offenders? What rights do offenders have during the investigation and trial phases? What avenues of appeal are available? What role does the victim play in criminal proceedings?
The course also draws on work from the social sciences—particularly criminology, sociology, and psychology—in order to better understand interactions between actors in the criminal justice system, the issues surrounding the use of expert assessments, and the way judges determine sentences at the end of a hearing (notably in light of sentencing studies), among other topics. It thus adopts both an interdisciplinary and critical approach, which also makes it possible to address major contemporary issues such as penal inflation and the treatment of victims within the criminal justice system.
In addition, the teaching is practice-oriented, through the analysis of concrete cases drawn from case law, the use of current events as illustrations, and the participation of practitioners during certain class sessions.
Finally - except in exceptional circumstances that would lead to the cancellation of this project - the evening criminal procedure course has the particular feature of being taught, with the exception of the first and last sessions, inside a prison, specifically at the Forest detention house. It is also open to the detention house’s residents as well as its staff. This arrangement strengthens the practical dimension of the course by confronting students with the realities of the field and fostering exchanges with residents and staff around their concrete experience of the criminal justice system. It also pursues an objective of inclusion.
By combining an interdisciplinary approach with a strong practical orientation, the criminal procedure course is fully in line with the Faculty of Law’s educational project as set out in its Manifesto (R.I.E.J., 2016/1, Vol. 74, pp. 169–175).

The course begins with a general introduction presenting the actors in criminal proceedings, the sources of applicable law, and the main principles governing criminal procedure. It then addresses public action: its holders, its modes of exercise, as well as the grounds for inadmissibility and extinction. Civil action brought within the context of criminal proceedings is also examined, particularly with regard to its holders, the procedures for initiating it, and its potential interactions with civil proceedings.
The remainder of the course is devoted to the two main types of investigation - preliminary inquiry and judicial investigation - by examining their conditions for initiation and closure, the various investigative duties that may be carried out, and the actors authorized to implement them. The rights of the parties during the investigation phase, as well as the issue of pre-trial detention, are also analyzed.
The course then focuses on the trial phase, addressing the jurisdiction of criminal courts, the conduct of the hearing, and the administration of evidence. It continues with the study of avenues of appeal: opposition, appeal, and cassation.
Finally, the course concludes with an introduction to European and international criminal law.
As part of the practical work, students are required to write an intermediate report and a final paper addressing concrete issues based on a described case (see the guidelines related the practical work).

The teaching takes the form of ex cathedra lectures highlighting the key points of the subject, with an emphasis on the connections between the different parts of the course. The course adopts an interdisciplinary approach, integrating insights from the social sciences that can shed light on legal issues. It is also practice-oriented, using concrete examples drawn from case law and current events, and featuring contributions from practitioners during several class sessions.
The course consists of nine sessions, each lasting three hours, held during the first two months of the second semester (February and March 2026) in person on Tuesday evenings. Except for the first and last sessions, classes take place at the Forest detention facility. The assessment, which consists of a written test, will be held at UCLouvain Saint-Louis – Brussels.
Students are required to study the material using the 2nd-year Bac Code, which they may also use during the assessment, provided that the annotation instructions contained in this Code are strictly followed.
A forum is available year-round on Moodle, allowing students to ask questions (about the course content, the course organization, etc.).

The course assessment consists of a two-hour in-person written exam covering the material taught in the course and including various types of questions (open-ended questions, multiple-choice questions, multiple-response questions, true/false, practical cases, etc.). For this assessment, students are allowed to use the 2nd-year Bac Code during the exam, provided that the annotation system specific to this Code is strictly followed. The exam takes place at UCLouvain Saint-Louis – Brussels, either during the June session or in advance on a date set by the faculty administration, in consultation with the student representatives.
The practical work is marked out of 20 and the mark awarded is worth a quarter of the final mark. The assessment criteria are: the quality of the intellectual approach and the resolution of the practical problem, the structure of the written work, rigour in both form and content, the bibliography and the correct use of sources, compliance with constraints, spelling and participation in the sessions.
Attendance is mandatory for the practical work. More than one unjustified absence on the practical work will be penalised by the overall grade of “0/20 absent” (0A/20) in the teaching unit for the session of June.
The written assignment must be submitted to the teaching assistant according to the procedures outlined in the specification document, but only the version uploaded to Moodle is considered official, even if another version has been submitted by a different means (email or otherwise).
Unjustified failure to hand in the final paper is penalized by the overall grade of 0A/20 in the teaching unit for the related session.
In the case of a justified delay, the deadline for submitting the work will be extended by the number of days equivalent to the difference between the start date of the medical certificate and the original submission date, with a maximum of 10 days.
In the case of an unjustified delay, 2 points will be deducted from the total score for every 24-hour period started; a delay of more than 5 days, the submission of non-genuine work, or failure to submit will result in an absence grade (0A).
For this assignment, students must comply with all scientific requirements as well as the applicable rules, notably the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for users of UCLouvain’s information services and the faculty note entitled ‘Responsible Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence.’ Students are therefore required to sign the integrity pledge for any written work. Failure to submit the signed integrity pledge will result in a deduction of two points.
The written work will be analysed using ‘Compilatio’ software to detect plagiarism and content generated by artificial intelligence.
Finally, students are expected to use the referencing system taught at the Faculty for their work; a summary table will be given to them at the beginning of the practice work.
Unjustified absence at an exam in June or September is penalized by the overall grade of 0A/20 in the teaching unit for the related session. If an attendance mark is requested for the submission of practical work or for the exam, the student will have 0/20 for the related session.
During the June session, if a student fails only one of the course unit activities while passing the other, the grade obtained for the passed activity is retained for the calculation of the final grade for the second session assessment. In other words, the student keeps the passing grade awarded for either the lecture exam or the practical work, even if they fail the other activity, and therefore does not need to retake that part during the second session. This provision does not extend beyond the academic year in which the passing grade was obtained.
Second Session

Students are encouraged to check the course Moodle regularly in order to stay informed of the latest updates, particularly through the announcements.

The course materials (reference book and slides) are available on Moodle. Videos and podcasts used to illustrate the course are also uploaded to Moodle.

Les éléments bibliographiques pertinents sont indiqués dans les supports de cours.
The relevant bibliographic references are provided in the course materials.