AMMAN (JT) — More than 9,000 people have served sentences under Jordan’s alternative penalties system since its introduction, as part of efforts to strengthen restorative justice and transform sentences into corrective measures that benefit society, Director of the Community Sanctions Directorate Eid Wreikat said on Sunday.

 

Wreikat noted that alternative penalties are applied in all misdemeanour cases and in felony cases with sentences of up to three years, provided reconciliation is reached and personal rights are waived in felony cases, Al Mamlaka TV reported.

 

He noted that there is currently a move to implement alternative penalties collectively, in line with the legal requirement that such measures serve public interest through community service.

 

Wreikat also said that starting September, a campaign would be launched to carry out alternative penalties in public spaces, enhancing their societal benefit, adding that rehabilitation programmes would also be activated to improve offenders’ behaviour and reintegrate them into society in ways that serve the community.

 

“These penalties are both deterrent and rehabilitative, reflecting the modern approach to restorative justice that emphasises offender rehabilitation in cooperation with relevant institutions,” Wreikat said.

 

Ministry of Justice data showed that between January and the end of July, 1,149 alternative penalties were carried out, while 284,000 electronic certificates of non-conviction were issued, including 3,197 in English and 50,100 in Arabic in July alone.

 

The data also indicated that 30 cases of electronic monitoring using ankle bracelets were implemented in July, bringing the total to 121 since the start of the year.