JEDDAH — The ministries of justice and social affairs will soon apply alternative sentences on juveniles convicted of various offenses instead of sending them to jail and punishing them with lashes. The alternative punishments will include community service and other activities that are of benefit to society. These new steps are in concurrence with the announcement of the alternative sentences law, which is expected to be enforced from the beginning of the new Islamic year. The two ministries, with the participation of the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution, are reviewing the new law, which will be gradually implemented. The law seeks to reduce the number of youngsters in juvenile detention centers and cut down their prison sentences. Social workers and psychologists will also participate by utilizing their expertise in rehabilitating young convicts. At a later stage, the law will cover female juveniles as well. Specialists have called for a gradual implementation of the new regulations, starting with a juvenile home. Legal sources said the current judicial system does not oblige judges to pass their rulings based on the new law. For full implementation of the law, the judicial system needs a complete revamp, they said. Some judges have voiced reservation on the effectiveness of alternative punishments. They say the new system will not succeed in the absence of strict monitoring, and there are no specialized bodies or mechanisms in place for such monitoring. Crimes involving juvenile boys include murder, theft, moral cases, traffic accidents and street brawls. Moral cases and fighting account for most cases, and 60 percent of convicts return to prison for repeat offenses. Cases involving juvenile girls include fleeing from homes, premarital pregnancies, assaults, drug abuse, murder and unpaid debts. A study prepared by a judge showed that 98 percent of judges support alternative sentences. The study stated that lashes and imprisonment have not achieved their goal and the repeated return of juveniles to prison only proves the failure of the current penal system. The study called for dealing with the social, economic and psychological impacts of imprisonment. This could be achieved by sentencing the offenders to community service and work in charitable organizations without any financial reward. The study claims that 50 percent of prison sentences result in severe negative repercussions. The Human Rights Commission visited some juvenile homes and reviewed the lengthy prison sentences and lashes in cases where alternative sentences could have been applied. Khalid Al-Thebaiti, public relations director at the Ministry of Social Affairs, said the ministry seeks to activate the alternative sentences in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice. Judges who participated in preparing the alternative punishment law have suggested the use of electronic bracelets to monitor the convicts or asking them to report to the police station at a certain time daily. It was recommended that juveniles should also be banned from traveling abroad and should be obliged to learn a trade. Proposed amendments to the law have excluded juveniles sentenced to more than three years, repeat offenders and those involved in major crimes.
