Rabat – Morocco’s Chamber of Representatives approved on Tuesday the law outlining alternative punishments.
The decision took place during a legislative session dedicated to discussions about the law as well as the management of Morocco’s corrective institutions.
The law puts in place guidelines for issuing alternative punishments for crimes that are punishable by five years or less in prison.
The law aims to establish more humane punishments for some of the lesser crimes, as well as reducing the burden on Morocco’s prisons, which have had a long-standing problem of overcrowding and lack of resources.
The bill has been heavily backed by Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi, who advocated for alternative punishments such as monetary fines.
“For adults, we proposed that if a crime is sentenced with less than two years, [the convict] can pay its price to the state instead of serving the sentence,” he said earlier this year.
He specified the fine could range between MAD 100 and 2,000 per day, while also suggesting the use of devices such as ankle monitors to constantly locate the defendant’s position.
In a 2009 speech commemorating the 56th anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People, King Mohammed VI had underlined the importance of alternative punishments, calling for the application of mediation, arbitration, and conciliation in resolving conflicts.
Under the proposal, the alternative punishments can only be handed to certain crimes where the offender received a prison sentence of five years or less. The authority to grant the alternative punishment would also rest with the judge.
