بدائل معالجة مشكلة ازدحام السجون في الدول العربية في ضوء بعض التجارب الدولية

Abstract

The overcrowding of prisons has become a problem burdening penal and correctional institutions in police authorities. Prisons are overcrowded due to the increase in the number of inmates serving sentences as result of crimes they have committed and judicial rulings issued against them. It has become a problem in terms of economic cost, the need for a proper level of service in prison facilities, and due to the multiplicity of crimes and the varying sentences of prisoners, in addition to the presence of foreign prisoners from other countries. To what extent has this problem become a reality of crucial importance in Arab countries in general and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries in particular? Therefore, this paper seeks to analyze some international penal experiences and policies, particularly the best practices, to address this phenomenon and the available options. Such options are alternative sentences or non-custodial measures, especially in short-term imprisonment or the exchange of sentenced persons against whom a judicial ruling has been issued in the territory of the state where the conviction was made and whom were then transferred to their home country for their due punishment to be carried out; to expand the building of prisons, and other alternatives. This will require the need to develop legislative frameworks of prison laws and regulations, in addition to regulatory and institutional frameworks related to the improvement of prison facilities, infrastructure, and capacity. It will also require the development of prison administration reform programs