Alternative Sanctions to Custodial Sanctions for Drug Addicts
Keywords:
Security studies, Penalties depriving freedom, Alternatives to penalties, Drug addicts, International experiences, Social stigma theorySynopsis
This study seeks to find suggestions for alternatives to custodial sanctions commensurate with the situation of drug addicts inside prisons. The study aimed to identify the negative impacts of the custodial sanctions for drug addicts, and to identify suggestions for alternatives to custodial sanctions commensurate with the special situation of drug addicts, and to explore the obstacles that hinder the application of custodial sanctions for drug addicts. The researcher used the analytical descriptive method in conducting this study. As for the study tool, the researcher conducted an in-depth interview with sociologists and psychologists working in Riyadh prison. The study concluded with numerous findings, the most prominent of which are: the most negative effects of prisons are: recognizing the most dangerous types of drugs, and the familiarization with criminals, in addition to social stigma and the spread of infectious diseases due to weak immunity among drug addicts and the overcrowding of prisons, etc. Moreover, the study identified the most appropriate alternative sanctions for drug addicts as: community service and electronic surveillance, in addition to judicial probation, suspension of punishment, parole and financial penalty in specific situations provided taking into consideration the income of the addict. The study identified the obstacles to the application of alternative sanctions as: the absence of judicial legislation stipulating the alternative sanction, lack of convenience for some judges of the usefulness of the alternative sanctions, the shortage in specialized staff, and lack of clarity of the entity assigned to monitor the application of alternative sanctions. The study offered some recommendations, the most prominent of which are: an independent authority specialized in alternative sanctions for drug addicts should be established to deal with addicts in terms of diagnosis, supervision, follow up and coordination with other competent authorities before and after the sentencing, such as: the Ministry of Justice, the General Directorate of Narcotics Control, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development to follow up the addict’s situation during and after recovery. Moreover, the study recommended to enact judicial legislation to enable judges to rule for compulsory addiction treatment and to apply appropriate alternative sanctions or consider the treatment as a sentence. Also, the study recommended benefiting from modern technology in applying electronic control sentence to save time and effort, and to recruit distinguished specialized staff in areas related to alternative sanctions such as doctors, sociologists, psychologists, and others.
Keywords: Custodial Sanctions, Alternative Sanctions, Drug Addicts, International Experiences, Labeling Theory.
