NCJ Number
87256
Date Published
1980
Length
97 pages
Annotation
This field research in Saudi Arabia examines the status of crime and public safety before and after the reign of His Majesty King Abdul Aziz, who unified the country in 1933 under the Islamic law of Sharia.
Abstract
The research methodology consisted of structured interviews with 22 persons at least 60 years-old (this would make them familiar with the period before Aziz's reign of unification) who resided in five representative regions of the country. The various occupations of the interviewees gave them experience with the country's social conditions in general and security in particular. All interviewees were well known to the local population. The interview led each subject to recall various aspects of social life and public safety before the reign of Aziz and the impact of the changes he brought about as the country came under a unified strict adherence to Islamic law. It was unanimously agreed that prior to the establishment of the Kingdom, anarchy reigned and instability and terror dominated the country. The most common crimes were murder, tribal reprisals, highway robbery, serious injuries, theft, sexual assaults, adultery, and alcohol comsumption. All of the interviewees agreed that security was established in all parts of the country after the Kingdom was founded. The crime rate in Saudi Arabia was 32 per thousand of the population in 1966, while it declined to 18 per thousand in 1975. Comments by other symposium participants are provided. Tabular data on crime rates are included.