Bahrain Mirror: Shura Council approved in it session on Sunday (July 2, 2017) a bill regarding alternative punishments and measures that allow the judge to issue alternative punishments, including community service, house arrest in a specific place, preventing from going to a place or specific places, undertaking not approach or contact persons or certain entities, submitting to electronic monitoring, attending rehabilitation and training programs, and repairing the caused damage.

Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowment Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa said that this law constitute a paradigm shift in Bahrain's penal policy, noting that the preparation of this project took two and a half years of study by a Committee chaired by the Attorney General, and that the project had been presented to the United Nations Office of crime. Amendments demanded by the UN office were made to the project.

He stressed that this law is not an alleviation of punishment, because the convict applies an alternative penalty, noting that not everyone is qualified to be subjected to these kinds of punishments. He explained that this is made in an arrangement between the executive judge and penal institution.

The minister noted that the law is not new. It is applied in the criminal procedure code since 2002 on the 3-month jail term sentences and less. The Minister expected that alternative punishments would achieve the necessary deterrence to defendants more than imprisonment.

A number of the council members had expressed fears that applying alternative punishments would fail to achieve the necessary deterrence of punishment.

Arabic Version