NCJ Number
134898
Date Published
1990
Length
12 pages
Annotation
A questionnaire survey of Arab countries gathered information about the use of alternatives to institutionalization and found a general trend toward the expansion of the use of community-based corrections, particularly for minor offenses, although the use of noncustodial sanctions is still rare.
Abstract
The survey received responses from 14 government agencies from 11 countries and additional information from several countries. Results revealed that imprisonment still receives priority over all other sanctions. Capital punishment is also allowed as a major sanction in almost all Arab penal systems, but it is only applied as a last resort for more serious crimes. Fines are usually applied as supplementary sanctions to imprisonment, but they often lead to imprisonment due to default. Other sanctions include deprivation of rights, removal of professional status, dismissal from public office, closing of public stores, probation, confiscation, deportation of an expatriate offender, and publicizing the verdict. The slow progress toward applying alternatives has resulted from the economic situation in most Arab countries and reluctance to try something new. Description of victim compensation (Diyya) and Islamic law in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia