Amman:Amid escalating security challenges and efforts by extremist groups to destabilize national security, there is a mounting demand for a shift in Jordan's criminal justice policy to effectively address terrorism.
According to Jordan News Agency, the growing consensus emphasizes the importance of addressing extremist ideologies at their core and closing loopholes that could be exploited by those promoting extremist and takfiri ideas. Legal experts advocate for moving beyond a reactive approach to a comprehensive, proactive framework that includes criminalizing all preparatory stages of terrorist activities, countering terrorist financing, and reforming rehabilitation systems to prevent prisons from becoming breeding grounds for extremist ideologies.
Former State Security Court President Mohammad Afif highlighted Jordan's preventative legislative framework, developed following Royal directives, which addresses the threat of terrorism. He noted the framework's evolution through amendments to the Penal Code and the introduction of the Anti-Terrorism Law No. 55 of 2006. This law provides a clear definition of terrorism and outlines deterrent penalties, with judges empowered to impose harsher sentences based on the severity of offences.
Afif stressed the need for further legislative reforms to implement preventive and precautionary measures, ensuring society is protected both before and after offences occur. University of Jordan Professor Laith Nasraween also emphasized the necessity of reviewing the Anti-Terrorism Law, particularly the proportionality of penalties related to state security threats.
Nasraween called for tougher penalties for serious offences and updating terrorist financing provisions. He advocated for a comprehensive review, including implementing final death sentences in terrorism cases and revising the Correction and Rehabilitation Centres Law to exclude serious offenders from early release. He also highlighted the importance of separating inmates convicted of terrorist offences from others to prevent the spread of extremist ideologies within rehabilitation centers.
Nasraween further suggested the implementation of ideological rehabilitation programs and judicial precautionary measures to monitor individuals deemed a threat post-release, including electronic monitoring and periodic reviews, with clear legal safeguards in place.