Perception of Petty Offences and Alternative Sentences in Morocco

ASF and the Observatoire Marocain des Prison (OMP) have surveyed to assess the perception of Moroccan population on petty offences and alternative sentences in Morocco.

The aime is toguide legislative reforms andimprove the practices of judicial actors to reduce the detention of people prosecuted for minor offences.

The survey is based on a quantitative study of a representative sample of the Moroccan population (n=1009), balanced according to region, gender, age, and socio-professional category.

The survey revealed contrasting perceptions of minor offences in Morocco , influenced by social, regional and cultural criteria.

Although poverty-related offfences are more tolerated, other offences, particularly societal and religious offences, remain highly criminalised.

On the other hand, alternative penaltiers are widely accepted as viable solutions, notably community service and daily fines.

The survey also highlights the differences in treatment according to social category, with poorer and younger people being more heavily criminalised.

Finally, the impact of the criminal record is seen as a major obstacle to rehabilitation, leading to a debate on its gradual abolition for certain miror offences.