Professional examination for senior prison director open for 2027

The Ministry of Justice authorizes, for the year 2027, the opening of a professional examination for access to the grade of senior prison director of insertion and probation (directeur pénitentiaire d’insertion et de probation hors classe). The decision was made by the decree of August 19, 2026 (NOR JUSK2620826A), published in the Official Journal of the French Republic No. 0198 of August 26, 2026.

This examination is open to prison directors of insertion and probation of normal class who meet the conditions set out in Article 13 of the decree of December 23, 2010. However, the total number of positions offered will only be known later, via a decree from the Keeper of the Seals, Minister of Justice, as will the composition of the jury.

Registration Calendar

Registration records are open from Monday, August 31, 2026, to Friday, October 9, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Paris time, strict deadline. Candidates have two ways to submit their application:

• electronically, on the APNET site of the prison administration (Intranet Justice/ApNet/Recrutement/concours);
• by mail, if online registration is impossible, by writing to the recruitment office, DIPEN section, professional examination DPIP-HC 2026, 13, place Vendôme, 75042 Paris Cedex 01.

The deadline for entry on APNET is set for October 9, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. For postal applications, the postmark shall be the evidence of date: any shipment sent after this date, or arriving without a postmark, or by email or fax, will be refused.

Tests and Accommodations

The oral admission test will take place starting Monday, November 16, 2026. Candidates must download and transmit their professional experience recognition file to the DIPEN section no later than Friday, October 16, 2026, in a digital PDF format to the address exapro.dap@justice.gouv.fr.

Candidates with disabilities requesting test accommodations must submit, by October 16, 2026, at the latest, a medical certificate issued by an approved physician, in accordance with Articles R. 352-1 et seq. of the General Code of the Civil Service. This certificate, dated less than six months before the tests, specifies the necessary human and technical assistance.

Furthermore, videoconferencing is possible, upon request, for candidates:

• residing in overseas territories (Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Reunion, Mayotte, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin, Saint-Pierre-and-Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna Islands, French Polynesia, New Caledonia) or abroad;
• with a disability, who are pregnant, or whose state of health requires it.

Their request, accompanied by supporting documents, must be sent to the recruitment service before October 16, 2026.

Results and Scope

The results of the admission tests will be available starting Wednesday, December 2, 2026, on the intranet site of the prison administration directorate. No results will be communicated by telephone or electronically.

This professional examination constitutes a major internal promotion route for normal class prison insertion and probation directors, allowing them to access the higher “hors classe” (exceptional) grade. The candidates concerned must be ready by the end of August, as registrations are open immediately, and should anticipate the preparation of their professional experience recognition file before mid-October.

Source : Decree of August 19, 2026, opening the 2027 professional examination for access to the grade of “hors classe” prison insertion and probation director, NOR JUSK2620826A, published in the Official Journal of the French Republic No. 0198 of August 26, 2026.