Ministry reviewing current penalties Okaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH ? The Ministry of Social Affairs is in the process of replacing the current disciplinary bylaw for correction homes, in a bid to abolish physical punishment, said Muhammad Bin Ibrahim Al-Awad, Director of Public Relations, Social Media and spokesman of the Ministry of Social Affairs. He said Dr. Yousuf Al-Othaimeen, Minister of Social Affairs, tasked the National Center for Studies and Social Department at the ministry to set up a committee including local and international experts and specialists in education, behavior reform, social service, sociology, Shariah law and caring for juveniles, to review the current penalties and draft new ones. He said the ministry wants to abolish physical punishment and limit lashings to those by judges. The delinquent juveniles are usually tried by a judge and are only admitted to the correction homes if they are caught by the police, Passports Department personnel and anti-drug squads. The juveniles? crimes include theft, physical assault, drug abuse, peddling and trafficking and murder. A total of 97 of the juveniles? cases are looked into at a court affiliated to the correction homes while felonies such as premeditated murder are seen at the General Courts. Moral cases rank first, representing 40 percent of total, with theft second at 30 percent and drug abuse cases coming third. The ages of the inmates range between 13 and 18. The correction homes are defined as asylums for delinquent juveniles who are detained for interrogation or to stand trial. The first correction home was founded in Riyadh in 1992. __
