In a first, Bahrain High Court orders community service for minors

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Five men, all minors, who landed in a Bahraini court for disturbing public peace, were ordered to do community services instead of serving jail terms in an unprecedented judgement.

The defendants were on trial for their involvement in a riot and setting tires on fire at a public place.

Public Prosecution urged the High Criminal Court to hand them alternative punishments instead of jail terms.

In Bahrain, inmates had received alternative punishments, but never before a court had used it while passing a judgement.

Besides, Bahrain is also one of the first Arab countries to implement an alternative punishment law to promote the criminal justice system and ensure that the penalty will rehabilitate and reform the convict.

Interior Minister General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, had said that the ministry is developing the Kingdom’s reformation and rehabilitation system to ensure the highest human rights standards.

In countries like the US and UK, the courts order community services either as an addition to punishment or as an alternative to other forms of punishment like imprisonment, fines or probation.

As a practice, in Bahrain, community service, as an alternative punishment, is given to those below 18 years of age.

The Public Prosecution told the High Criminal Court that it collected fingerprints and DNA samples of the suspects from the crime scenes to establish their crime.