A judge at a local court in Al-Muwaya, east of Taif, sentenced a hashish addict to eight months treatment in hospital instead of sending him to prison. The judge aimed to help the addict lose his habit. He called for doctors to prepare reports to see whether the treatment was beneficial or not. The judge also said that the addict should not be discharged from hospital until he reappears in court and proves he is cured.
This particular judge is known to use alternative rulings instead of sentencing people to jail. Recently, a young Saudi who was sentenced previously to eight months in jail and 100 lashes for robbery appeared in front of him for a similar crime. He ordered the youngster to clean 26 mosques and sentenced him to 100 hours of community service at the Ministry of Endowments, Call and Guidance — which is two hours daily, one in the morning and one in the evening. He also sentenced another juvenile, who was found guilty of drinking alcohol, to clean 26 mosques one hour a day for a month.
The judge subsequently received a thank you letter from the secretary-general of the National Committee for Prison Care and from the National Society for Human Rights. I really do not know why I was so happy with these sentences. The judge has come to realize that juveniles do not benefit from prison, especially if they are first time offenders.
The choice of handing sentences involving community care is definitely an excellent one as it rehabilitates offenders. This is something that needs to be discussed and approved as an alternative to being sent to prison. We must implement these values in our society. By handing juveniles punishment in the form of community care, they will have the time to think about what they have done, change their mind and promise never to repeat their crimes.
In the West, judges sentence juveniles and even men to social service programs as an alternative to jail. Many people consider this to be a great thing. Drug addicts are sentenced to give lectures to young people to stay away from drugs and others are made to help out at orphanages and elderly care homes. With prisons in the Kingdom being overcrowded with both Saudis and expatriates, I think we should consider handing community care work to offenders.
Local newspapers have reported that members of various government departments are gathering to discuss the alternative source of punishment. Alternatives to sentencing include participating in charitable activities, attending educational seminars and many other things.
Sheikh Saad Al-Otaibi, member of the teaching committee at the Higher Institute for Justice, said that many agree with alternative punishments saying they are more effective than sending people to prison.
Al-Otaibi feels that the youths that leave prisons do not come out rehabilitated but rather as hardened criminals having mixed with experienced convicts inside.
With studies having been conducted by the Justice Ministry, we are optimistic that the alternative social service program will succeed and will help rehabilitate youngsters. They will reevaluate their behavior and come to realize their mistakes. This will bring self-respect back to them and prevent them from repeating their crimes.
