The 1st “Barometer” report on the level of reintegration of detained minors was presented on Tuesday in Rabat, at the initiative of the Moroccan Observatory of Prisons (OMP).
This barometer, for the month of September 2022, aims to provide reliable statistics on the reintegration of minors detained in Morocco and to contribute to guaranteeing the protection of minors in general and illegal minors in particular, for a Morocco worthy of its children. The field research, which was based on the methodology of the statistical survey, focused on 200 minors detained in penitentiary establishments in Morocco, i.e. 25% of the population of minors in detention, distributed between reform centers and education of Aïn Sebaâ in Casablanca and Benslimane.
Speaking on this occasion, the President of the OMP, Abdellatif Reffoua, highlighted the great efforts made by Morocco in recent years to reform the prison and penal system, welcoming the will of the authorities to improve the material, moral and human conditions of prisoners.
After highlighting the contributions and facilities provided by the General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration and the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Reintegration of Detainees, he indicated that this report provides important statistics and figures to measure the level of reintegration of detained minors.
In addition to the case law on the subject and the studies carried out, the conclusions of the barometer will contribute, according to Mr. Reffoua, to the establishment of an integrated national strategy in the field of reintegration and the fight against recidivism.
This effort will be reinforced by the realization of three barometers within the framework of the project “Acting for equal access to rights and for the improvement of detention conditions” co-financed by the European Union, with a view to measuring the level of reintegration of detained minors on the basis of recent data on the subject, through the identification of elements allowing the reintegration of nearly 25% of detained minors, in addition to presenting reliable statistics on this phenomenon in Morocco, he said. it belongs.
The barometer was based, during the field survey, on elements relating to the criminal process, the conditions of detention, communication with the outside world and the risk of mistreatment of minors. This survey also focused on access to justice and defense and reintegration programs for this category.
This report, which is part of the continuity of the OMP’s work in this area, comes after the publication in 2020 of a first study on “preparing for the reintegration of minors in detention”, which presented a critical analysis of criminal justice for minors and the legal framework for their reintegration, documented the reality of reintegration on the basis of a sample of detained and released minors and evaluated the practices of the various operators in this area.