Following an agreement with the Interior Ministry, the Justice Ministry has started establishing courts near prisons in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam to expedite the trial of prisoners. The first such court is being constructed near Briman Prison in Jeddah, Al-Watan Arabic daily reported. Lawyers and legal experts have welcomed the ministry's move. Omar Al-Khouli, a professor of law, highlighted the benefits of establishing courts, especially criminal courts, near jails. "If courts are set up near prisons, the need to handcuff or shackle prisoners when they are taken to courts will not arise. Taking prisoners to courts in shackles is humiliating," he told Al-Watan. The new system will also reduce the difficulties prisoners are facing during the transfers. "At present, prisoners are taken to courts in shackles," he pointed out. Al-Khouli commended the Justice Ministry's efforts to speed up court procedures by reducing the time required to schedule hearings. "We expect the ministry would appoint specialized judges at prison courts. There are only 1,800 judges throughout the Kingdom and many of them are looking for other jobs due to low pay. Judges receive less salary than lawyers," he pointed out. Rayan Mufti, lawyer and legal consultant, considered the establishment of a court near Briman Prison as a positive step taken by the ministry. "It will reduce the number of security officers required for taking convicts from prison to courts," he said, adding that it would allow jail authorities to take prisoners to courts quickly. "Lawyers are informed about court sessions on the same day. As a result, many of them are unable to attend the hearings to defend their clients," he pointed out. He said the delay in taking prisoners to courts had resulted in some hearings to be canceled. "The presence of courts near jails would enable lawyers to meet their clients and reduce complications such as getting permission to meet them," he explained. Lawyer Faisal Al-Sareea also spoke about difficulties in taking prisoners from jails to courts because of a lack of enough officers to guard them. "The presence of courts, especially criminal courts, on the prison premises will eliminate a lot of problems." Al-Watan tried to contact Mansour Al-Qafari, spokesman for the Justice Ministry, to find out when the new prison courts would be ready, how much the project would cost, the modality of their operations and whether there would be any tunnel to link the prison with the court. But the spokesman said he does not have any information about the project.
