Morocco’s Justice Minister, Abdellatif Ouahbi said that it is important to enact the proposed Alternative Sentencing Law to protect children and strengthen Morocco’s justice system, in a statement to the press, following a meeting on custodial sentences, chaired by Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch.
He described the law as a “transformative” approach to addressing certain crimes, offering an alternative to traditional prison sentences.
Ouahbi explained that the proposed bill would protect minors who occasionally commit acts punishable by law, particularly following certain sports activities.
It would also protect women from violence and provide individuals with a “second chance,” he asserted. Its core objective, the minister noted, is to facilitate the reintegration of offenders into society safely while ensuring their commitment to legal obligations.
A key component of the law is the use of electronic tagging as an alternative to imprisonment, a measure that would help reduce overcrowding in prisons.
The minister stated that the meeting addressed the financial and administrative needs essential for the effective implementation of this law, underlining the importance of adequate resources to manage these alternative penalties properly.
The draft law which requires approval by Parliament before it can be enacted, introduces four primary alternatives to traditional imprisonment. These include community service for those over 15, with a requirement of up to 600 hours of unpaid work; daily fines adjusted according to the offender’s financial means and the crime’s severity, with a limit of six months for payment; electronic surveillance of offenders’ movements within Morocco, subject to judicial oversight; and a combination of measures that could involve house arrest, vocational training, rehabilitation, and periodic reporting to authorities.
Such alternatives would provide an opportunity for reintegration, particularly for people convicted of minor offenses, while taking into account their socio-economic situations.
Notably, the legislation excludes serious crimes such as embezzlement, drug trafficking, human organ trafficking, and the sexual exploitation of minors from being eligible for these alternative penalties.
The new law will come into effect after Parliament approves the bill and it is published in the Official Bulletin.