The Ministry of Justice, in partnership with official bodies, specialists and international organisations, has drawn up a crime-prevention strategy that will serve as a reference in the Kingdom’s efforts to combat crime and recidivism, but it warned a whole host of challenges lie ahead.
The comprehensive strategy envisions an effective, potent and enhanced justice system that enhances the rule of law and meets its goal of preventing crime, public and private deterrence of crime and reform of criminals, it pointed out.
The strategy’s aim is an advanced, well-established criminal justice system that takes into account human rights criteria and the rights of both victims and criminals, ensures access to justice for all, and dedicates preventive measures to combat crime and recidivism through updating and modernising legislation governing criminal justice.
However, over 23 challenges and barriers lie ahead, including tying sustainable development goals with efforts to strengthen the rule of law, curb crime and achieve criminal justice, according to the draft.
It cited other challenges as promoting societal values and the “positive” settlement of disputes, upgrading the performance of security, police and law enforcement agencies as well as addressing the problem of overcrowding in correctional and rehabilitation centres, which lacked a proper health and mental health environment for the inmates.
It also referred to other hurdles as community awareness programmes, especially for young people, diagnosing and handling emerging types of crime and tracking the causes and drivers of crime.
The four-pronged plan envisages curtailing crime and taking preventive measures to confront it, strengthening partnership and cooperation with official and other institutions and civil society organisations in tackling crime, updating criminal justice legislation, improving crime-related IT and statistical systems and scientific studies in addition to enhancing and developing the mechanisms to integrate criminals in society.
The strategy was drafted based on a detailed statistical and analytical study entitled “crime, recidivism and confrontation strategy in Jordanian society” by a national committee headed by the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Justice with the membership of ministry staff members, the Judicial Council, the Public Security Directorate and the USAID-funded rule of law project, Penal Reform International (PRI) as well as crime experts and the Ministry of Social Development.
The study included a number of inmates at correctional and rehabilitation centres in the Kingdom and recent Judicial Council and Ministry of Justice records and data.
Source: Jordan News Agency