Information-Based Evaluation of Alternative Criminal Measures in Jordanian Law: A Legal and Policy Analysis for Reducing Prison Overcrowding

Abstract

Prison overcrowding remains a significant challenge for contemporary criminal justice systems, creating legal, administrative, and information-management pressures that affect correctional effectiveness and policy implementation. Beyond the issue of prison capacity, the successful application of alternative criminal measures depends on the availability of reliable legal information, judicial documentation, social reporting systems, and institutional information flows. This study evaluates alternative criminal measures in Jordan as both a legal-policy framework and a legal-information system designed to reduce prison overcrowding. The study adopts a descriptive, analytical, and comparative legal methodology to examine the Jordanian Penal Code and its amendments of 2017, 2022, and 2025, with comparative references to Moroccan, Iraqi, and Egyptian legislation. The analysis focuses on the legal structure governing community service, rehabilitation programs, addiction treatment, electronic monitoring, residence restrictions, and other non-custodial alternatives. The findings indicate that Jordan has developed a more comprehensive framework than several comparable Arab jurisdictions by incorporating diverse preventive and rehabilitative alternatives supported by judicial discretion and administrative oversight. However, the effectiveness of these measures depends heavily on the quality of social reports, judicial information, electronic monitoring records, implementation documentation, and coordination among courts, enforcement judges, correctional institutions, and government agencies. The study identifies shortcomings related to reporting standards, procedural documentation, information accessibility, and monitoring infrastructure. It concludes that stronger information-governance mechanisms, standardized reporting procedures, enhanced digital monitoring systems, and improved access to legal information are necessary to maximize the effectiveness of alternative criminal measures and support sustainable prison-overcrowding reduction policies in Jordan.