JEDDAH — Two women officials working at prisons have called for the creation of a shelter that welcomes non-Saudi female prisoners aged below 30. They said the aim is to prevent them from mixing with prisoners with criminal records. Col. Talal Al-Saidalani, head of criminal studies at Jeddah police, said by law women convicts under 30 are sent to juvenile centers while expatriates in the same age group are sent straight to prison. Speaking at a two-day seminar on improving women's awareness of their legal rights that ended on Tuesday at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Al-Saidalani said a new prison that will be built in Jeddah will have a section to accommodate female expatriates under 30 until they are deported. Meanwhile, women prison officials have called for keeping female prisoners who are in prison for financial offenses separate from women convicted of violent crimes. Head of the Prosecution and Investigation Commission in Jeddah Abdullah Al-Garni said: “We welcome the proposal to separate prisoners in this way and hope to discuss this suggestion with concerned authorities.” Fawziya Abbas, head of the female section at a Jeddah prison, asked if judges ever took into account the conditions of prisoners who suffer from serious diseases, especially if they are infectious. Mohammad Al-Dafir, judge at the Court of Appeals, replied non-Saudi prisoners who have infectious diseases are to be deported. Saudis, however, are to be kept in prison and their health is to be monitored until the end of their sentences. Professor Fatin Halawani, consultant at King Abdulaziz University, raised the issue of the low alimony paid by men to ex-wives who win custody of their children. She said: “In some cases the money specified is as low as SR500 even if the husband is a millionaire.” According to Al-Dafir, setting alimony amounts is left to the judges who evaluate such cases. He added: “We hope that judges consider these cases properly and hope they are being monitored when they perform their duties.” Prison officials said prisoners are forced to stay in prison for at least seven months after the end of their sentence. This delay, said officials, is because the prison cannot release them until they receive an official document from court that tends to come late. Al-Saidalani said prison administrations should take some responsibility and develop a computerized system that can be linked to the courts, allowing copies of relevant court documents to be sent immediately. Jawahir Al-Nahari, head of the women section at the Human Rights Commission in Jeddah, said this is the first seminar the commission has held on this issue and there will be similar future events targeting women working for bodies that address women's issues.
