The Legislative Trajectory of Alternatives to Custodial Sentences in Light of the Amendments to the Jordanian Penal Code for the Years 2017, 2022, and 2025
Social Reform
Abstract
This study examines the legislative trajectory of alternatives to custodial sentences in light of the amendments to the Jordanian Penal Code for the years 2017, 2022, and 2025, with the aim of assessing the extent to which the Jordanian legislator has succeeded in regulating these alternatives as a tool for the rehabilitation of offenders and their reintegration into society.
The study seeks to analyze the development of Jordanian legislation governing these alternatives, starting from the foundational stage established by the 2017 amendment and culminating in the semi-comprehensive stage reached by the 2025 amendment, while identifying legislative shortcomings that continue to affect the effectiveness of these alternatives in achieving the objectives of social reform.
The study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach to examine and analyze the relevant legal texts as set forth in the three amendments to the Penal Code, within the framework of the philosophy of social reform.
The findings indicate that the 2017 amendment was foundational and experimental in nature, whereas the 2022 amendment advanced alternatives to custodial sentences to a semi-institutional stage by expanding the range of alternatives, activating the powers of the sentence execution judge, and addressing most of the gaps identified in the previous amendment. The 2025 amendment represents the most mature and balanced stage, as it defined the nature and duration of alternative sanctions and regulated the mechanism for appealing decisions related to substitution requests, while some legislative gaps remain in need of further treatment.
The study recommends reissuing the Regulation on the Implementation of Alternative Sentences No. (46) of 2022 in accordance with the 2025 amendment, in addition to introducing clear legislative provisions regulating the mechanism for appealing the decisions of the judge responsible for the execution of alternative sentences, thereby strengthening legal guarantees and enhancing the effectiveness of the policy of alternatives to custodial sentences within the Jordanian legal system.
Keywords: Rehabilitation, Society, Reintegration, Alternatives, Punishments, Amendment, 2025.
References
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Laws and Regulations
• Jordanian Code of Criminal Procedure and its amendments, No. 9 of 1961.
• Jordanian Penal Code and its amendments, No. 16 of 1961.
• Law No. 10 of 2022, amending the Jordanian Penal Code.
• Law No. 12 of 2025, amending the Jordanian Penal Code.
• Law No. 27 of 2017, amending the Jordanian Penal Code.
• Law No. 32 of 2017, amending the Jordanian Code of Criminal Procedure.
• Regulation of Methods and Mechanisms for Implementing Alternative Sanctions, No. 46 of 2022.
• Guideline for the Application of Community-Based Correction Alternatives, Ministry of Justice, Jordan (2019).
