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Saudi Arabia
Prison Conditions
The administration of the kingdom's prisons was under the supervision
of the director general of public security. Unsanitary and overcrowded
prison conditions prior to King Faisal's reign were supposedly
corrected after reforms adopted since the late 1960s. Nevertheless,
it was clear from various published reports during the 1980s that
conditions for most prisoners were very unpleasant. According
to Saudi Arabia: A MEED Practical Guide published in
1983 by the Middle East Economic Digest, up to 200 prisoners might
share a single room. Basic food was provided, usually eaten by
hand from the floor, although prisoners' families often supplemented
their diets. Inmates slept on a bare floor; in some cases, they
were provided with a pad, but no mattress. They had to supply
their own blankets. There was little ventilation and a hole in
the floor served as a lavatory. Saudi prisons were not dangerous
or violent, and treatment for ordinary inmates was not cruel.
Little attention was given to rehabilitation or training for a
trade after confinement, however. Boredom was a particular problem.
According to the MEED guide, there was no provision for parole,
but most prisoners were released for good behavior after serving
three-quarters of their sentences. The Country Reports on
Human Rights Practices for 1988, published by the United
States Department of State, also described conditions as severe
in some institutions, although not intentionally degrading. Prisoners
were liable to suffer heat stroke and sometimes complained of
difficulty in obtaining adequate medical treatment. The Department
of State said that the Saudi government was making efforts to
expand and improve prisons, but substandard conditions persisted,
especially in deportation centers where large numbers of foreigners
were held prior to deportation.
Data as of December 1992
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