The Justice department is moving increasingly towards the system of alternative sentences to reduce prison congestion and recidivism and limit the risk of criminal contagion and imitation, Minister of Justice Leila Jaffel said Tuesday.
Presiding over a scientific conference on alternative penalties in place of custodial sentences, the Minister referred to the introduction in national legislation of community service, the penalty of criminal redress and the system of electronic monitoring by bracelet, under the government decree No. 29 of 2020.
The meeting is organised in collaboration between the General Directorate of Prisons and Rehabilitation and the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences.
The ministry is now looking into the generalisation of probation offices in all courts of appeal, she stated, adding that a draft presidential decree on the organisation of these structures will be issued soon.
Probation offices are theoretically in charge of following up persons subject to community corrections.
Leila Jaffel said the generalization of probation offices will have a positive impact on the quality of social, psychological and medical care of prisoners and on the proper implementation of integration and rehabilitation programmes.
The Minister called on the various structures involved; ministries, public enterprises, local communities and civil society to strengthen the partnership mechanisms to ensure the success of the experience of probation offices.
A cooperation agreement was signed between the Ministry of Justice and the President of the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences. The aim is to strengthen cooperation in the academic and research fields of security and penitentiary sciences, criminal sciences, criminology and delinquency prevention.
