Non-Custodial Sentences Cover 10,219

Lawyer: Alternative Sentencing System in Bahrain a “Working Model”

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Non-custodial sentences have covered 10,219 people in Bahrain since the alternative penalties scheme began in 2018, Public Prosecution figures show.

A total of 15,566 penalties and measures were used between 2018 and 2025, meaning some people were given more than one penalty or measure.

Community service made up the largest share, with 5,218 cases, or about 33.5 pc of the total.

Training and rehabilitation covered 3,030 people, while 2,644 were banned from entering certain places and 1,427 were placed under electronic monitoring.

Orders to repair damage caused by crime covered 1,590 people. A further 1,308 gave undertakings not to approach or harass others, 337 were placed under house arrest at a fixed address, and 12 were ordered to report to a security body at set times.

In 2025 alone, 2,411 people were given non-custodial sentences, including 2,166 men, 213 women and 32 young adults aged over 18 and under 21.

The number of penalties used last year reached 3,214. Orders to repair damage caused by crime were the most-used measure, with 966 cases, followed by community service with 685 and training and rehabilitation with 562.

Fareed Ghazi, a lawyer, said the figures showed Bahrain’s use of alternative penalties had grown into a working model for non-custodial sentencing.

He said the effect went beyond those serving the penalties, as families also benefited when relatives stayed within their family and community setting.

Ghazi said electronic monitoring and house arrest allowed offenders to be supervised outside prison while they remained under legal supervision.

He rejected claims that the wider use of such penalties was lenient, saying the measures were applied under clear legal rules and did not weaken deterrence.

He said the scheme’s success should be judged not only by the number of people covered, but also by reoffending rates and the ability of reform and rehabilitation schemes to stop repeat offences.

Public Prosecution figures under the Restorative Justice Law for Children and their Protection from Maltreatment show that 94 children benefited from replaced measures and penalties, including 88 boys and six girls.

The cases included 36 children whose penalties were replaced directly by restorative courts, 31 whose penalties were replaced after judgments, and 27 who received direct measures from the relevant judicial committee.

Ghazi said restorative justice for children gave priority to rehabilitation and allowed each case to be handled while weighing the interests of the child and society.