Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch has issued a circular to ministers and government officials urging them to accelerate the implementation of the provisions of the alternative sanctions law, No. 43.22, which will come into effect on August 22.
The circular obliges ministers, state secretaries, and senior delegates to mobilize their central and regional departments and public institutions under their supervision to actively engage in this initiative.
Akhannouch emphasized the importance of responding to proposals from the General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration, and providing the necessary human, material, and managerial resources. He also called for the appointment of official liaisons within government sectors to coordinate efforts with the General Delegation and unify the approach to activating alternative sanctions, particularly community service.
The circular requested the identification of suitable types of work for implementing this sanction and the determination of locations that can accommodate the offenders benefiting from it, while preparing bilateral or multilateral agreements that lead to clear annual local work programs.
The Prime Minister stressed the importance of participating in upcoming preparatory meetings to establish detailed specifications that outline the responsibilities of each relevant sector in implementing alternative sanctions, including tracking and monitoring methods such as records, databases, and tracking software.
The new law is part of a comprehensive reform of the justice system that the government has committed to, under royal directives, to adopt a modern criminal policy based on alternatives to prison sentences for offenses that carry a maximum penalty of five years.
The law stipulates four alternative penalties: community service, electronic monitoring, restriction of certain rights or imposition of treatment and rehabilitation measures, and daily fines.
The goal is to provide offenders with a second chance for social reintegration and to reduce the cost of prison sentences on the state and society, alongside protective measures for offenders and their families.
