Born on April 19, 1967, in Pau (France), Jean-Paul Céré is a doctor in private law and criminal sciences (1998). He is Professor at the university of Pau since 1998. Specialist in prison and human rights matters, he created in 2000, the first professional Master in Right of sentence enforcement and human rights, and he still manages it (University of Pau and Montesquieu Bordeaux IV and since 2010 also at Dakar). He has been invited as professor in several universities abroad (Montreal, Ottawa, Rio de Janeiro, Tsukuba).  

He is Vice-president of the French association of criminal law. Président of the international comitee of the french speaking pénalists and also member of the scientific comitee of the international association of criminal law.

He is the author, in particular, of: Les systèmes pénitentiaires dans le monde (dir. avec C.E. Japiassú), Dalloz, 2e éd. 2011 ; Le permis à points, L'Harmattan, 2010 (4 th ed.); La prison, Dalloz, 2007; Les PV de stationnement, L'Harmattan, 2003 ; Panorama européen de la prison (Dir.), L'Harmattan 2001 ; Le contentieux disciplinaire dans les prisons françaises et le droit européen, L'Harmattan, 1999. He has created and manages the collections "La justice au quotidien" and "Bibliothèques de droit" (Editions l'Harmattan, Paris). He is member of editorial boards and author of chronicles in several scientific magazines in France and abroad.

International expert consultant in penitentiary matters, he regularly gives conferences in France and abroad (Brazil, Canada, Japan,  Lebanon, Spain, Turkey,  etc).