Section IV:
Alternative sanctions not based on deprivation of freedom
1. Punishment is the penalty prescribed by law and signed by the judge by a court judgment on
behalf of the society for anyone responsible for the crime and commensurate with it. The fact that
punishment is a penalty, it must involve pain for the perpetrator who violated the provisions of
the law, and that is done by depriving him of the rights he enjoys. If there’s a crime, then there is
a penalty. So, there is no penalty unless a crime is committed and someone is responsible for it, as
well as taking the principle of legitimacy that a penalty and a crime are based on judicial texts in
line with the right to the enjoyment of the guarantees of fair trial.
2. P
unishment as a sanction, has an educational role in society, which is to achieve its best interests
by combating crime through punishment of the perpetrator, and the judiciary is the competent
authority for deciding on the punishment of anyone responsible for a crime. The punishment varies
according to the offense and its gravity, and can either be a deprivation of freedom or a financial
penalty, and these penalties are decided by a judge depending on the real circumstances of the
offender, both of which are related to the conditions and circumstances of the offense, or those
related to the person of the offender and how dangerous he is as a criminal.
3. T
he punishment concerning deprivation of freedom is one of the most severe penalties – following
the punishment of death – and is given after taking into consideration the type of offense committed
and its extent and gravity, and its efficiency in the overall and private deterrence and reform of the
offender. However, the realities and scientific studies, and recent trends of punitive philosophy
have shown a range of options that keep pace with the evolution of societies such as alternative
punishments for sentences of imprisonment, which are not the most efficient and effective to
achieve its purpose, being based on the exclusion of the perpetrators from their social surroundings
and their natural environment , as it may be the reason for the acquisition of other habits harmful
to them and their community.
4. Alternative penalties are those imposed by the judiciary on the convict instead of the deprivation of
freedom penalties, with the need to be consistent with the objective to achieve general and private
deterrence, and that it would reform the convict and result in his rehabilitation. Experiments have
shown that punishment concerning deprivation of freedom, in certain cases, is not enough to
achieve the desired outcomes from the criminal justice system, as well as the fact that it is no longer
the best method for the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders in the society. The core reason
behind the alternative punishments is to find effective ways other than deprivation of freedom that
would enable the authorities to introduce the principle of proportionality with the needs of the
offender, the nature of the offense he committed, and the circumstances of the case and the needs
of society; and it should be noted that the alternative penalties system is applied to misdemeanors
and not felonies.
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