The closed educational center of the Cèdres in Marseille is a facility that houses delinquent minors, often connected to drug trafficking, for a judicial placement of up to six months, which can be renewed once. This serves as an alternative to traditional prison sentences. In 2025, there was an 18% increase in the number of minors prosecuted in Marseille. A recent reform has merged the Closed Educational Centers (CEF) and educational homes into "Educational Placement Units" (UJPE), aiming to provide more personalized care focused on sanctions, integration, and support for these young individuals. Despite the reform, the number of available places remains limited. France has approximately 1,000 accommodation spots for about 30,000 minors under judicial supervision. The Cèdres complex, enclosed by a fence and equipped with surveillance cameras, is neither a traditional home nor a prison. Each year, it hosts minors who have been sentenced for delinquency and placed there by court order. Rayan*, a 16-year-old who arrived at the center a month ago, describes the experience as being neither completely free like at home nor as harsh as prison. He acknowledges the initial stress of being in an unfamiliar environment with strangers, but he feels it is a better alternative to prison. The increase in minors appearing before the juvenile court in Marseille is partly due to the rejuvenation of the local drug trade, which has led to more young people being caught in legal troubles. The reform aims to integrate the care of these minors more effectively by merging the CEF and educational homes into the UJPE. Thomas Lesueur, director of the PJJ (Judicial Protection of Youth), explains that the goal is to individualize care and focus on the execution of judicial sanctions, integration, and support for the young people in the system. In Marseille, the Chutes-Lavie home has merged with the Cèdres center, following a similar trend across France, with the aim of eventually creating 125 such units. The Cèdres center provides various educational and vocational opportunities for its residents. It has a teacher, a technical teacher, 14 educators, a nurse, a psychologist, two cooks, two administrative staff, and a director, totaling 21 full-time personnel. Although the 6-month placements can be effective, some educators feel the time is too short to make a significant impact. Despite the limited number of places, these centers have a non-recidivism rate of over 70% before the minors reach adulthood, indicating that they can be effective in helping young people reintegrate into society. Rayan, like many others, hopes to gain some skills during his stay, envisioning a future where he can open his own shop.