Najjar seeks to implement prison reform
Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar held a news conference on Monday to discuss how to implement a law to shorten sentences for convicted criminals.
The law, which came into force in 2002, allows judges to reduce the sentences of prisoners suffering from ill health, or as a reward for good behavior. Head of the Court of Appeal in Beirut Jean Fahed was present at the meeting as well as an array of judiciary figures, Internal Security Forces (ISF) officials and prison administrators.
The gathering was also a chance for magistrates and prison security officers to communicate and better coordinate their tasks.
Although Najjar admitted that the sentence-reduction law was not complete, he said he was proud that Lebanon had started taking serious measures toward making its laws more humane.
“This law is only part of a larger program,” said Najjar, explaining how enforcing it could lead to the rehabilitation of certain prisoners, “if the proper conditions were met.”
The law will be enforced in cooperation with the Interior Ministry, which will soon assume responsibility for managing Lebanese prisons, added Najjar. He also noted that the program the ministries are following to improve prisoner rehabilitation would be fully operational by 2012.
However, the minister said that the transfer could not be rushed. He explained that judges could not maintain security inside the prisons since that required surveillance from inside the facilities. Therefore the role the ISF played in the matter was central: they could monitor the prisoners’ health, food, water and hygiene.
“The question of Lebanese prisons should be in the hands of the Justice Ministry, the Interior Ministry and the ISF all at once,” Najjar said.
The minister then addressed the judges that were present, asking them to strive to find a balance between firmness and humane decisions.
“This law should make us remember that criminals are also human beings,” he said.
“Although the task at hand is very difficult, we want to prove that Lebanon can enforce modern laws,” added Najjar.