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The Lawyer’s Handbook on Legal
Aid, Non-custodial Measures and
Probation
Penal Reform International The Lawyer’s Handbook on Legal Aid, Non-custodial Measures and Probation 3
Index
6 Penal Reform International The Lawyer’s Handbook on Legal Aid, Non-custodial Measures and Probation
Acknowledgement
We are deeply grateful for the scientific support and training endowed by the Penal
Reform International, and for the aid they offered to the Execution Committee of
the pilot project for the implementation of alternative sanctions and non-custodial
measures, not to ignore their preponderant role in bringing the probation office in
the Court of Appeal of Sousse into the limelight.
Our deepest appreciation goes to Mr. Ahmed Rezig the first president in the Court
of Appeal of Sousse, and to Mr. Abdelhamid Aabada, the Public Prosecutor in the
Court of Appeal of Sousse, for their moral support and unprecedented effort in the
organization of scientific seminars and training workshops, and in supervision, in
cooperation with the Penal Reform International, before and after the creation of
the probation office.
Introduction
Legal Aid: Rights and Guarantees

People in conflict with the law are always in need of legal aid that guarantees access
to fair and effective measures throughout the criminal justice process, including the
pre-trial investigation, the conflict settlement through mediation interventions, or
even during the trial proceedings and eventually sentence enforcement. The justice
process is governed by a huge legislative, regulatory and administrative arsenal
which needs a thorough understanding of the functioning of the justice system. One
of the most important sources of assistance is the legal aid which goes beyond the
traditional role of lawyers in defending the rights of individuals and protecting the
right to a fair trial, to cover other functions like counseling, legal sensitization and
bridging the gap between adversaries to conciliate their positions through media-
tion and community intervention, in accordance with international standards for the
administration of justice and reparation for the damage, not to ignore the necessity
to compensate the community and restore harmony among its members. Modern
studies in criminology and penology confirm that custodial sanctions do not serve
their retributive goals of deterrence, and a growing tendency looks to sentence en-
forcement as an opportune time for rehabilitation and educational programs, while
detention, due to its ruthlessness and regarding the lack of resources directed to
prisons, could undermine all these rehabilitative endeavors. Therefore, the interna-
tional standards take as a priority the protection of the right to fair trial and proce-
dures guaranteed by the existence of a legal aid and guidance facilities and direct
assistance beside the right to the legitimate legal defense.
Lawyers should undoubtedly contribute to the promotion of human rights, which
is the heart of their noble functions that emanate from the ethics of this legal pro-
fession, based on deep insight and scientific specialization. Lawyers advance the
administration of justice through their participation in dialogue, coordination and
networking to correct any deviation or breach of the law, and restore rights to their
individuals by implementing legal measures to protect society and provide a posi-
tive atmosphere for rehabilitation, reform and alternative sanctions. Their communi-
ty-oriented undertaking is extremely important to respond to the needs of society,
the victims and the persons in conflict with the law. Equally significant is the active
Introduction
role they play in rehabilitation and reintegration in order to achieve security and
stability in the community, and to reduce overcrowding in prisons due to exces-
sive detention, by working towards the implementation of non-custodial alternative
sanctions, and boosting the work of civil and public institutions to provide guidance
and legal services, in addition to raising the efficiency of the justice system and the
dissemination of legal culture based on the relevant international standards.
This procedural guidelines handbook comes to identify the strengths that improve
legal and community work, and to help legal aid and counselling organizations to
carry out legal activities that promote the application of community service and
develop probation programs in Tunisia. It takes aim at enhancing reform pathways,
reintegration and the implementation of international standards in the administra-
tion of justice as well as rehabilitation and remedy for people in conflict with the law
through probation interventions during sentence enforcement, or post-release care
and follow-up.
Thanks to the fruitful cooperation between the Penal Reform International, the Min-
istry of Justice and the Court of Appeal in Sousse, with the support of the Fight
Against Drugs and the Rule of Law Office in the US Embassy in Tunisia, this hand-
book tries to give impetus to alternative sanctions and probation programs, and to
improve community services. We hope it becomes a reference for effective policies
and procedures that ensure the good functioning of justice systems and the rule of
law together with the respect for human rights.
Ms. Taghreed JABER

Regional Director
Penal Reform International
Middle East & North Africa Office
Introduction
Penal sanctions have passed through different stages in human history, in parallel
with the growing tendency towards criminalization and the humanization of pun-
ishment. The history of human lawmaking and all heavenly messages bear witness
for the tendency to ‘humanize’ sanctions as a consistent approach that emerged
since the first written law in the Code of Hammurabi, through the message of Moses
and the message of Jesus, and eventually the Mohammedan message that de-
clared worldliness, and introduced the last holy law for all humanity. The same as it
encourages jurisprudence in all disciplines, the Mohammedan message venerates
knowledge and the discovery of laws of the universe, as a religion of compassion,
true to God’s words “And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy
to the worlds” (The Prophets: 107), and for humanity at large as a religion of values
and lessons as God says “Say, Indeed, my Lord has guided me to a straight path - a
correct religion - the way of Abraham, inclining toward truth. And he was not among
those who associated others with Allah” (The Cattle: 161).
Positive legislation has always sought to push forward this humanization tendency,
in search for penal sanctions that end abuse and amputations of body. However,
prison sentences were and still are prevailing punitive measures in modern positive
laws. Perhaps it is worthwhile to recall here the hardships endured by Prophet Yu-
suf, peace be upon him, when he called his Lord that he would bear the horror of a
prison sentence against the maliciousness and the scourge of vice. “ He said, My
Lord, prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite me. And if You do not
avert from me their plan, I might incline toward them and [thus] be of the ignorant,”
(Yusuf 33), which is a prophetic statement on the severity and the cruelty of the
prison sentence.
Accordingly, human thought has remained bewildered over the effectiveness of the
prison sentence, and new arguments were raised by jurists from the criminology
school, who relentlessly struggled against the downsides of this punitive measure.
Imprisonment, though adopted by all positive criminal laws in the world, has never
gained consensus as the best penalty, as was previously advocated by the jurist
Pellegrino ROSSI in his book Traité de droit Pénal in 1829. As a result, victimol-
ogy and social defense theories emerged as credible theses that stand against
Introduction
the prison sentence and its disadvantages in certain criminal cases, and here the
international community turned attention to non-custodial measures as effective
alternatives to custody.
The international humanitarian law is continuously expanding, noting that the inter-
national community seeks always to cover new areas of interest, by crafting binding
conventions and guiding rules as new legislative frameworks that enrich the inter-
national registers. The supremacy of international law leads national legislatures
to harmonize domestic legal texts with these internationally recognized rules and
conventions.
It is worth noting that the standards contained in this handbook are different in
terms of legal value. While some treaties are binding to States, other texts, which do
not bear the nature of a treaty, are consensual standards for members of the inter-
national community to be considered as guiding rules in law-making. Some rights
enshrined in these standards have been recognized as rules of customary interna-
tional law, while standards issued as ‘charter’ or ‘convention’ or ‘protocol’ or ‘cove-
nant’ are treaties legally binding to the States Parties. On the other hand, there are
human rights standards relating to legal aid and non-custodial measures that do not
take the form of a treaty, and are usually called ‘rules’, ‘guidelines’ or principles like
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Principles for the Protection of All
Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment and the Standard Minimum
Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. Although these standards do not constitute a
binding legal authority like treaties, they have a prominent power for legal argumen-
tation, given that the issuance of each standard which was the culmination of the
process of negotiation between governments, and that all of these standards have
been adopted almost unanimously by the General Assembly of the United Nations.
In view of the considerable international political value they have, these standards
are considered a mandatory reference framework, and the judge has the right to
take them as a source for sentencing, the same as lawyers are entitled to refer to
their provisions, pursuant to customary international law.
Prisons in Tunisia are painfully terrible, due to the incessant overcrowding and lack
of resources along with the rising public spending on every prisoner. 27 penitentia-
ries and 06 reformatories exist in Tunisia (reformatories amount to 21 % of the total
of penitentiaries). Although 08 of these penitentiaries are sentence enforcement
prisons, and 19 prisons are reserved for detention, overcrowding seems to under-
mine this classification.
Introduction
Until December 2015, prisons in Tunisia accommodate more than 26,000 inmates,
while its capacity does not exceed 16,000 inmates. It should be noted that the
number of adjudications for arrest in 2015 amounted to 53.300, and the pre-trial
detentions are at more than 55 % of the total number of prisoners, which necessi-
tates the mobilization of nearly 80 % of the human and material resources, which
were supposed to be directed to the rehabilitation programs. Also, the proportion
of spending on each inmate ranges between 25 and 30 dinars per day, noting that
recidivism rate reaches 45 %, and that the majority of the prison sentences are not
long enough for an effective rehabilitation.
There is a deep conviction that the adoption of alternative sanctions for cases of
non-grave offenses and first time offenders, and the activation of the restorative
justice approach based on conciliation by mediation mechanisms will largely serve
as good tools to avoid the defects of prison sentences, which seem unquestionably
ineffective and lack the efficiency desired as deterrence mechanisms to reduce re-
cidivism. Alternative measures seek to overcome the deficiencies of retributive ap-
proaches which could not go beyond its punitive function to touch upon the needs
of the victim, and to eradicate the seeds of crime in the community.
As there is a necessity to harmonize the Tunisian domestic penal system with the
relevant international standards, the Ministry of Justice has formed a working group
that includes judges from the Court of Appeals of Sousse and the director of the civil
prison of Messadine, in collaboration with the International Red Cross organization
in accordance with the partnership contract with the ministry, after the resounding
success of non-custodial alternatives in Kairouan Court of First Instance in 2008.
A Regional forum for all the sentence enforcement judges was organized to agree
upon legislative amendments to include alternative sanction under law n° 68-2009.
It was agreed to launch a pilot project under the supervision of the international ex-
pert Mr. Andre Vallotton. The onset was in 08th January 2010, which has already led
to the creation of a probation office that provides literary, social and psychological
accompaniment for the juvenile in conflict with the law or for accused or convicted
individuals, who generally fulfil the conditions enlisted to benefit from psychological
and social education, to induce their sense of guilt or regret, and to ensure their
re-integration into the community, and help them build resilience in an open space.
These measures take aim at reducing recidivism, and ensure the security and safe-
ty of the community, with the launch of this probation office on 23rd January 2013
based in the First Stance Court of Sousse 2.
The participatory approach thriving in our country since 2011, in an atmosphere of
Introduction
freedom, dignity and social justice, has elevated the status of the lawyer to a merit-
ed position as a constitutionalized partner in the justice system. The lawyer is exclu-
sively entrusted with the task of representing the parties, whatever their legal status,
to defend, assist and advise them, and to carry out on their behalf all proceedings
before the courts and before the judicial police all judicial, administrative, disci-
plinary and regulatory measures. He is also exclusively responsible for the drafting
of contracts and conveyances of immovable property and contracts for the supply
of real estate to the capital of commercial companies, organized by Decree-Law n°
2011-79 of 20 August 2011 on the organization of the profession of lawyer.
The core functions of a lawyer are counselling, defense and legal aid which contrib-
ute to the administration of the justice system in general. Thus, the lawyer should
play a role in the implementation of non-custodial measures and in gaining an insti-
tutional recognition of probation as an emergent experience.
Legal aid is advice and procedures or interventions of judicial nature, performed
by a specialized person who has the professional capacities to achieve the desired
legal benefit for a customer, including the unveiling of truth and the administration
of justice. Legal aid may cover all the lawyer functions.
The National Bar Association of Tunisia has played an indispensable role in promot-
ing professional standards and ethics, and the protection of its members, not to
ignore the legal services it provides to those in need. It has also made an important
contribution to human rights and educational programs to ensure ethics and dignity
for all lawyers. It takes aim at strengthening the profession of lawyer in protecting his
client’s rights, and upholding justice, human rights and the fundamental freedoms,
as recognized nationally and internationally, and as enshrined in the guidelines.
Initiating non-custodial measures in the required manner, and providing legal aid
services to individuals subject to detention or prison inmates, aside from the institu-
tionalization of the probation office as a leading legal body, are in fact the outcome
of serious endeavors taken by both the Penal Reform International and the working
group of the pilot project of the Probation Office under the chairmanship of the pub-
lic prosecutor at the Court of appeal of Sousse.
Therefore, this handbook aims in the first part to introduce the human rights stan-
dards relevant to legal aid and its applications in force under Tunisian law. In the
second part, the handbook addresses the non-custodial measures as alternatives
to preventive detention or other prison sentences pronounced against a certain cat-
egory of defendants, according to what is legally available for such measures. The
third part of this handbook will shed light on the different ways of leading probation
as an emergent typical experience that seeks to provide support and rehabilitation
services for defendants and convicts.
1 Legal Aid
1 Legal Aid
Noting that legal aid is the advice and procedures or interventions of judicial nature,
performed by a specialized person who has the professional capacities to achieve
the desired legal benefit for a beneficiary, including the unveiling of truth and the
administration of justice, the international standards adopted for legal aid provided
by lawyer will give other dimensions to the applications of the law.
A. International Standards for Legal Aid:
Article 5 of the Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers (Havana, September 1990)
provides that governments shall ensure that all persons are immediately informed
by the competent authority of their right to be assisted by a lawyer of their own
choice upon arrest or detention or when charged with a criminal offence, while arti-
cle 6 stipulates that any such persons who do not have a lawyer shall, in all cases in
which the interests of justice so require, be entitled to have a lawyer of experience
and competence commensurate with the nature of the offence assigned to them in
order to provide effective legal assistance, without payment by them if they lack suf-
ficient means to pay for such services. As for article 8, it is enshrined that all arrest-
ed, detained or imprisoned persons shall be provided with adequate opportunities,
time and facilities to be visited by and to communicate and consult with a lawyer,
without delay, interception or censorship and in full confidentiality. Such consulta-
tions may be within sight, but not within the hearing, of law enforcement officials.
Therefore, legal aid is in fact a key element that enhances law enforcement and
justice in any criminal legal system, the same as it lays foundation for fair trial, as
contained in Article 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Instituting an
effective legal aid system in any country would undoubtedly reduce the number of
suspects put to detention, and scale down prison overcrowding caused by some
erroneous convictions or by inappropriate prison sentences. Legal aid covers also
legal consciousness-raising endeavors among the public, including seminars, lec-
tures and training workshops and educational programs, on the purpose to stand
against criminality, unintentional crimes, and crimes based on ignorance of law.
Part One Restorative Justice
It should be noted in this regard that the reference document in this area is the
United Nations Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice
Systems issued on 20th December 2012, as a useful framework to guide countries
on the principles that should underlie the provisions of legal aid in the criminal jus-
tice system.
The term legal aid includes legal advice, assistance and representation for persons
detained arrested or imprisoned, suspected or accused of, or charged with a crimi-
nal offence and for victims and witnesses in the criminal justice process.
These principles recommend that this right is guaranteed in the Constitution, and
that State should provide human and financial resources, and that the police, pros-
ecutors and judges assume their responsibility of providing legal aid at no cost for
those without sufficient means or when the interests of justice so require. They also
recommend that the victims should have equal access to legal aid, without preju-
dice to or inconsistency with the rights of the accused, and that assistance should
be provided to witnesses in order to ensure their protection.
To ensure the effectiveness of legal aid system for those who are unable to afford
the cost, States should enhance the knowledge of the people about their right to
freely benefit from legal aid, and to protect the rights of defendants and witnesses
in danger. They should also provide medical and mental care for the victims. Special
measures should also be taken to ensure meaningful access to legal aid for women,
children and groups with special needs, including, but not limited to, the elderly, mi-
norities, persons with disabilities, persons with mental illnesses, persons living with
serious contagious diseases, drug users, indigenous and aboriginal people, state-
less persons, asylum seekers, foreign citizens, migrants and migrant workers, refu-
gees and internally displaced persons. Such measures should address the special
needs of those groups, including gender-sensitive and age-appropriate measures.
The international community has paid a special attention to legal aid for the juvenile
through the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Ju-
venile Justice (The Beijing Rules, November 1985). Rule 15-1 states that throughout
the proceedings the juvenile shall have the right to be represented by a legal adviser
or to apply for free legal aid where there is provision for such aid in the country,
while Rule 20 states that each case shall from the outset be handled expeditiously,
without any unnecessary delay, especially that, as time passes, the juvenile will find
it increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to relate the procedure and disposition to
the offence, both intellectually and psychologically.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child ratified by Tunisia by Law No. 92-1992
dated 29th November 1991, states that children have the right to obtain legal aid
promptly, and the right to challenge the measure taken against him/her before a
court, and the right of the child to have his or her best interests taken as a primary
consideration for every action or decision. As stipulated in UN Standard Minimum
Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (approved by the Economic and Social Coun-
cil), the child is allowed to apply for legal aid when available.
The United Nations Guidelines on Justice in Matters involving Child Victims and
Witnesses of Crime, the United Nations Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of
Crime and Abuse of Power (November 1989), as well as The UN Principles and
Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems (20th December
2012), not to ignore the international Convention on the Rights of the Child have all
stipulated that children should promptly have access to legal aid, health, social and
educational services. These texts call on governments to provide support for child
witnesses. Where the safety of a child witness may be at risk, appropriate measures
should be taken to protect the child from such risk before, during and after the jus-
tice process, as provided for in the Guidelines of the Committee of Ministers of the
Council of Europe on child-friendly justice adopted on 17 November 2010.
It should be noted that the United Nations Standard Rules for the Treatment of
Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (Bangkok
Rules, December 2010) state that newly arrived women prisoners should have ac-
cess to legal advice and information about prison rules and regulations and the
prison regime. Most women who face detention or imprisonment are in fact mothers
and often primary carers of children. The sudden and often unexpected removal of
the carer requires that mothers be provided with legal advice for alternative care
arrangements to be made in order to protect the children.
According to some studies women prisoners are at heightened risk of self-harm and
suicide, due to the harmful impact of isolation from the community on the mental
well-being of women, which requires access to legal assistance and guidance, and
offering possible legal solutions on alternative care.
As contained in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ratified
by Tunisia under Law No. 4-2008, legal aid should be provided to people with dis-
abilities, and to those who suffer from physical, mental or sensory impairments that
prevent them from acting in a natural way and from taking part in the normal life of
the community on an equal footing with others. Legal aid should focus on the rights
guaranteed by international conventions, such as the right to prison regulations

written in Braille, tactile communication and bold characters, and to multimedia
tools and sign language for the deaf. Legal aid should also guarantee access to
concessional arrangements at the investigation stage, or at the trial stage or during
the sentence enforcement, and to facilities that address the access requirements
for people with disabilities.
B. Legal Aid Applications:

The legislator has organized legal aid for low-income people through a legal aid
mechanism, and a requisition mechanism for people subject to detention in criminal
matters, or during trial as required by the justice system. These are all interventions
that take the form of free legal aid, carried out by lawyers assigned for this purpose.
The costs incurred by these interventions shall be borne by the State Treasury, not-
ing that the voluntary free legal aid conducted under the supervision of the National
Bar Association keeps inactivated.
I. The Legal Aid Mechanism

After being sporadically enshrined in various texts that belong to the pre-inde-
pendence era, legal aid has been organized under Law No. 52-2002 dated 03
June 2002, which actually revised by Law No. 27-2007 dated 07 May 2007. As
enshrined here, legal laid should be upon request of the person concerned, and
a specialized office called the Legal Aid Office decides on applications for legal
aid. This office consists of the public prosecutor or his deputy, as chairperson,
and a cassation lawyer appointed by the Minister of Justice, and a representa-
tive of the Ministry of Finance or his deputy appointed by a decree of the com-
petent minister for a period of one year, as members. The Legal Aid Office shall
hold its meetings at least once a month unless the number of requests or their
causes require otherwise. The chairperson of the Legal Aid Office may decide
on requests for emergency assistance outside the official dates for holding hear-
ings, and can not wait for the periodic hearing of the Office.
1. Scope of Coverage:
Law No. 52-2002 has granted legal aid in civil cases to any individual claim-
ant or defendant at any stage of the proceedings. It may be awarded in crim-
inal cases to the civil party, including natural and legal persons, like civil or-
ganizations, and the applicant for revision as well as in offenses punishable
by imprisonment of at least three years, provided that the applicant for legal
aid is not a recidivist.
The scope of coverage of legal aid includes many offenses, which requires
that the court provides the necessary information about legal aid to the liti-
gants, and that lawyers should fulfill their part by providing advice and guid-
ance to those who have no income or that their annual income is limited and
is not sufficient to cover the litigation and enforcement costs in offenses not
covered by legal aid. Free legal aid should be provided for a foreigner where
the Tunisian courts have jurisdiction to hear disputes of which he is a mem-
ber, pursuant to a convention on judicial cooperation in legal aid concluded
with the State of which he is a national. The legal aid may also be granted in
the penal cases subject of an appeal in cassation, after it had been limited
to litigation in misdemeanors punishable by less than three years only in pri-
mary and appellate phases, pursuant to Law n° 2007-27 dated 7 May 2007,
amending and completing some provisions of law n° 2002-52 dated 3 June
2002.
Noting that nothing prevents the possibility of access to legal aid for the
victim if the conditions are met, it has become possible for him, standing
as civil party, to appoint a lawyer to assist him in front of the judicial police,
and the costs be borne by the Legal Aid Office, the same as the defendant,
as provided for under law n° 2016-5 dated 16 February 2016. Total or partial
legal aid includes the costs normally borne by the parties, and in particular
the registration fees and the fiscal stamp relating to the documents submitted
by the applicant to establish his rights, late payments and fines incurred for
non-payment of registration fees and stamp duty within the statutory time
limits, the costs of expert appraisals and the various tasks ordered by the
court, the costs of notarial deeds authorized to be issued, the costs of the
judges’ movements, the remuneration of the designated lawyer, the costs of
summons and notifications, the costs of legal announcements and the costs
of execution. Every decision issued at this level should define the reason
behind coverage.
The provisions of Law No. 52-2002 suggest that the legislator has adopted a
flexible method in terms of access to coverage for the most part in line with
the existing international standards, by making the conditions on legal aid
attainable, fast and efficient. The beneficiary is required to declare his genu-
ine financial ability being insufficient to cover the litigation and enforcement
costs, without affecting income needed for living expenses.
Among the favorable judicial practices at the Legal Aid Office is that the ap-
plicant is required to submit a destitution certificate provided by the Mayor
of the region or by the municipality, or to simply declare his annual income to
the customs service, which would enable the Legal Aid Office assess the ap-
plicant’s genuine financial ability. The Legal Aid Office usually tries to smooth
the path for the administrative procedures by focusing its intervention on
documents that provide proof for the right to be protected, both for the de-
fendant’s presumption of innocence and to the victim’s right to proceed civil
action or to cassation appeal.
2. Terms of Coverage:
A decision is to be issued by the Legal Aid Office, confirming coverage for a
beneficiary. This decision granting legal aid must include the designation of
its scope, the nature of the costs it covers, and the legal assistant in charge
of aid, after consent of the beneficiary, if necessary. Accordingly, the Regional
Branch of the National Bar Association provides a list of counsel, to equally
alternate the division of legal aid work among the lawyers.
The President of the Legal Aid Office may decide on requests for emergency
assistance outside the official dates of the hearings of the Office, and who
can not wait for the periodic hearings. He has the right to take a decision
thereon as soon as the request is submitted to him. In such cases, members
of the Office shall subsequently ratify the decisions of the president, or de-
cide to withdraw the grant of legal aid if the legal conditions are not met. The
registrar of the Legal Aid Office shall in all cases notify the applicant directly
or by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt of all decisions ren-
dered within a period not exceeding five Days from the date of the decision,
and a copy of these decisions shall be notified to the president of the court
of competent jurisdiction, to the legal assistants, and to the general treasury.
The registrar of the court hearing the dispute must state on the back of the
file “the benefit of partial or total legal aid by the party concerned”, to stand
as a reference for follow-up and for the work of the lawyer in charge of the
case or for repayment of fees.
Decisions rendered by the Legal Aid Office are not subject to appeal. The
decision to reject the application must state the reasons on which it is based.
If the rejection is motivated by the failure to produce proof of the serious-
ness of the application, the person concerned may renew it once he has
received new evidence justifying his application. Lawyers, bailiffs and other
designated judicial officers may not refuse to undertake the assignments for
which they have been appointed unless there is a legally valid reason. In
such a case the designated judicial officer may request to be relieved of the
assignment entrusted to him within three days of the date of notification of
the appointment.
These deadlines have considerable impacts, especially if linked to the appeal
deadlines or to expiry deadlines for values or assets, which requires careful
coordination between all stakeholders.
As far as the legislator is keen on facilitating the terms put on legal aid, ev-
ery applicant for legal aid who has deliberately refrained from disclosing his
actual annual income and any person who intentionally contributed to the
concealment of the applicant’s income shall be sentenced to imprisonment
and a fine, without prejudice to the civil liability which he may incur with re-
gard to the State.
3. Ways to Pay Lawyer’s Fees:

A special scheme of fixing lawyers’ fees has been regulated under Decree n°
2007-1812 dated 17 July 2007. The assigned lawyer for legal aid may, once
the trial is over, present a request to the president of the court who delivered
the judgment whereby he requires fixing the fees, with documents enclosed
with the request for fixing the lawyer’s fees, including a copy of the assign-
ment decision, a copy of the presented conclusions during the trial, a copy of
the delivered judgment of the trial he was assigned to, and the memorandum
of the elements of the required fees. The president of the court who delivered
the judgment fixes, after the opinion of the president of the Legal Aid Office,
the lawyer’s charges, taking into consideration in fixing the charges the court
of the trial, the nature of the case, efforts exerted by the lawyer, the roll of
lawyers to which the lawyer belongs.
The fixing of the lawyer’s fees decision is not appealable, but it is subject
to revision within an eight-day deadline after its receipt. To apply for the re-
vision, a reasoned claim shall be presented to the tribunal president who
delivered the judgment.
Upon the expiry of the revision deadline or after it is ruled on, the president
of the court, taking into consideration the state contribution, orders the con-
cerned tax collector to pay the due amount as an advance cash.

The Lawyer has the right to receive all the fees after sentence enforcement,
if legal fees form part of the sentence pronounced. He can then proceed in
deductions after detente.
II. The Requisition Mechanism:

Since the scope of legal aid is more comprehensive than just providing judicial
assistance to the poor or needy, the interests of justice and fair trial standards
require that the court ensures the presence of a lawyer in proceedings for offens-
es punishable by imprisonment for more than five years, as well as for the best
interests of the child in the course of proceedings in the justice system. Conse-
quently, the legislator has organized requisition measures by enacting provisions
for the court to ensure the assignment of a lawyer to defend the defendant’s
rights, and guarantee the fairness of the trial, both when arrested by the judicial
police, or during the trial phase in criminal matters.
1. Scope of Coverage:
As Law No. 5-2015 requires, the judicial police officers must inform the de-
fendant that he is entitled to be assisted by the lawyer, who shall be informed
immediately by the judicial police officer of the date of the hearing of his or
her client, which should be recorded in the minutes. In such cases, the lawyer
is entitled to take cognizance of the proceedings beforehand.
Upon request made by the applicant for legal aid, the assignment of a lawyer
by the judicial police should be for offenses punishable by imprisonment for
more than five years. Therefore, the president of the Regional Branch of the
National Bar Association shall be notified, on the purpose to assign a lawyer
from the list of counsel available to alternate the division of legal aid work
among the lawyers.
Article 77 of the Child Protection Code stipulates that if the acts attributed to
the child are of a serious nature, the public prosecutor must automatically ap-
point a lawyer to assist the child, in case the child has not chosen one. Article
93 states that the investigating judge notifies the president of the Regional
Branch of the National Bar Association to assign a lawyer to assist the child
subject to criminal proceedings.
Article 69 of the Criminal Procedure Code requires that if the defendant is

charged with a crime, and requests designating a defender for him, a counsel
shall be assigned to him. The appointment shall be made by the president
of the court, and usually, in coordination with the president of the Regional
Branch of the National Bar Association, to assign from the counsel list avail-
able for requisition purposes, noting that the rules of criminal circles require
that the court assigns a lawyer for a defendant who did not assign a lawyer
on his own.
2. Ways to Pay Requisition Fees:

The governmental order n° 2015-44 dated 13 January 2015 contains provi-
sions that regulate granting a requisition allowance for the benefit of train-
ee-lawyers officially designated in criminal cases. This allowance is however
limited to trainee-lawyers, and does not cover all lawyers who are in fact
eligible to requisition by stating that “a trainee lawyer appointed ex officio in
a criminal case before the courts of law or military shall be granted a requi-
sition allowance amounting to two hundred and fifty dinars for each case”.
This makes the provisions of the governmental order n° 2015-44 inconsistent
with the provisions of Article 37 of the Decree No. 2011-79 of 20 August 2011
on the organization of the legal profession, which stipulates that a lawyer
appointed in the context of legal aid or assigned in criminal cases is entitled
to compensation, the amount of which is fixed by decree, and collected from
the State budget on presentation of the requisition decision. Therefore, the
requisition allowance covers all lawyers, considering the supremacy of the
decree over the governmental order which limits it to trainee-lawyers.
III. The Role of the Regional Branch of the National Bar Association
in Sousse in Activating Legal Aid:
It should be noted that a participatory approach is worthwhile in the adminis-
tration of justice and the international commitment to the principles of Havana
on the role of lawyers (1990), and with regard to the recommendations of the
International Bar Association (www.ibanet.org) which serves as an umbrella or-
ganization for all lawyers. All lawyers, law firms and bar associations should
unquestionably show readiness to provide legal aid mainly to the poor, the dis-
advantaged and the marginalized on equal footing with other customers, and to
civic associations that devote a considerable part of their activity to community

services. Therefore, the Regional Branch of the National Bar Association, aware
of the value of this participatory approach, may be considered the most worthy
and capable to offer this free legal aid, beside the other legal mechanisms in
force and the judicial advice that might provided by the Office of the judicial ad-
vice in the Court of First Instance. This would serve as an alternative source of
free legal aid for social groups who do not meet the legal requirements in force,
or because of barriers that hinder access to justice.
1. Target groups
According to a report prepared by the Penal Reform International, the num-
ber of women in prison has reached until March in 2014 up to 656 prisoners,
58% of them serve a sentence of less than two years imprisonment, and
according to the same statistics, the Messadine prison hosts 120 prisoners,
76% of them are awaiting trial, and also 6 babies are accompanying their
mothers who spend 23 hours inside small cells, and are rarely allowed to go
outdoors, even though law n° 2008-58 dated 4 August 2008, relating to the
prisoner pregnant or breast feeding mother requires that the prisoners preg-
nant or breast feeding women are, during the pregnancy and breast feeding
period, imprisoned in an appropriate place fitted up for the purpose, which
offers the medical, psychological and social assistance to the mother and the
child, and that the children accompanying their mothers during their impris-
onment are accepted to stay till the age of one year, renewable once.
The fire which broke out in the Messadine prison in 2011 has caused harmful
impact on the mental well-being of children and their mothers, which neces-
sitates providing legal advice for alternative care arrangements to be made in
order to protect the children, in accordance with the international standards.
For this purpose, Penal Reform International is willing to work with its part-
ners, to create a child-friendly detention environment in collaboration with
civil society organizations.
The prison regulations allow one visit per week, and more than once a week
only upon request. Women prisoners are not allowed to see their children
of more than 13 years old, without prior permission, and can be subject to
disciplinary measures including the suspension of visits. According to sta-
tistics, 41% of women prisoners have expressed their discontents with their
tarnished image in family and society, which impedes their reintegration after
release. It is worth mentioning that there are no training workshops or reha-
bilitation programs in Messadine prison since the fire broke out at the prison
in 2011.
Offering legal aid to women, especially those who bear the responsibility of
taking care of their young children, requires accompaniment, advice on alter-
native care mechanisms following the sudden imprisonment, and to promote
their rights to visit and to communicate with the external environment and
their families with the regard to the international standards (Nelson Mandela
Rules issued on 17 December 2105). It is also of paramount importance to re-
peal the denial of the visit as a disciplinary sanction in the prison regulations,
and include the right to appeal the decision and the right to legal aid in case
of disciplinary procedures.
Since the Child Protection Code came into force, the number of children
put to Sidi El Hani reformatory has markedly decreased, noting that it has
hosted more than 350 children, and now it accommodates nearly 60 children
and a maximum of 80 children in the winter period. It also provides several
vocational training workshops specialized in aluminum, agriculture, rabbits
breeding, music. However, children seem to increasingly drop out of school,
and are still in need of legal aid mechanisms to complete the proceedings
in expeditious manner, and to give them the right to sentence review by the
children’s judge whenever they show positive behavior and acceptance of
the rehabilitation and reintegration interventions. Children subject to criminal
proceedings are in dire need of legal aid which would make them closer to
the child-friendly environment.
In this regard, the Penal Reform International has initiated a pilot experience
with the creation of a child-friendly juvenile police station in one of the Arab
states, and has provided all the necessary human and material resources,
with the support of its partners. It is a pioneering experience worth emulat-
ing in our country, to cover childhood spaces in courts, almost absent, to
make children in conflict with law subject to child-specific procedures carried
out by specialized officers, beyond the regular procedures performed by uni-
formed police officers.
The child victims and witnesses need legal aid, to protect their rights both as
victims by ensuring effective measures and legal procedures for redress, and
as witnesses to ensure their safety.
Foreigners and illegal immigrants are also in need of legal aid, including
translation at the preliminary investigation, up to the trial phase, which re-
quires that they benefit from free legal aid when necessary.
The inmates who suffer from chronic diseases and those with disabilities
need to receive legal assistance, especially about the international standards
that ensure their access to information and to the prison regulations super-
vised by skilled staff, and provide magazines, books and newspapers inside
the prison.
2. Free Legal Aid Mechanisms:

Being part of the noble functions performed by the attorney, legal aid should
be efficiently managed by the Regional Branch of the National Bar Associ-
ation. It is a form of voluntary intervention made through a list of counsel,
which equally alternates legal aid work among the lawyers, under effective
safeguards that ensure the good performance of this role, without aberration
or deviation. The Regional Branch, composed of civil society organizations
under the auspices of the National Bar Association, is most capable to forge
a partnership with the General Directorate of Prisons and Rehabilitation, to
provide guarantees that help lawyers carry out their work in a good manner,
like the creation of offices for legal aid in prisons, wherein lawyers could vol-
untarily alternate their legal aid interventions. This partnership will give the
Regional Branch the right to follow up lawyers’ work inside prisons, and will
pave the way for more effective measures to be included in the prison regu-
lations, as information on free access to legal aid by lawyers will be available
for all inmates upon request, beside the counsel assigned for their individual
cases. This will have a positive impact on all parties, and will certainly en-
hance the noble message of the attorney, under the supervision, control and
guidance of the Regional Branch. The latter has the right to receive a periodic
report about the form and nature of the legal aid provided, from its partners,
including Messadine prison or Sidi El Hani reformatory, or the Probation Of-
fice, represented by the sentence enforcement judge if legal aid covers those
subject to probation, when necessary.
2 Non-custodial Measures
2 Non-custodial Measures
From overcrowding
To open spaces
The purpose of non-custodial measures generally lies in finding effective alterna-

tives to the detention of the defendants subject to criminal proceedings, and who
could benefit from interim release during the trial, or who were sentenced to alterna-
tive sanctions that serve the same punitive goal of prison penalties. Non-custodial
measures help avoiding the inadequacies of the traditional criminal proceedings, as
they provide ample room for the court to implement flexible but efficacious sanc-
tions that individualize cases, and look to the needs of the defendant, the commu-
nity and the victim as commensurate with the crime committed. They allow eligible
defendants to remain in the open space under follow-up measures and surveillance,
to continue their work or study, which would preserve for sure family life under the
guarantees of non-custodial measures.
In what follows, we will shed light on the international standards of non-custodial
measures, and later on its judicial applications under Tunisian law, and the pros-
pects for its activation.
A. Non-custodial Measures in International Conventions
The lawyer, as an important partner in the administration of justice, sees the harmo-
nization of domestic legislation with non-custodial measures as a priority, pursuant
to the recommendations set forth by standards developed in some comparative
experiences. Accordingly, the source of inspiration for any nascent experience in
non-custodial measures should be the Tokyo Rules issued on 14th December 1990,
which contains a set of basic principles to promote the use of non-custodial mea-
sures on the one hand, and the minimum guarantees for individuals subject to sanc-
tions alternative to imprisonment on the other.
These rules urge Member States to take endeavours to strike a balance between
the rights of individual offenders, the rights of victims, and the concern of society
for public safety and crime prevention, taking into account the protection of human
rights, the requirements of social justice and the rehabilitation needs of the offender.
Article 2-4 for example requires that the development of new non-custodial mea-
sures should be encouraged and closely monitored, and their use systematically
evaluated. This means every decision taken, at any stage of the implementation of
criminal justice, by the competent authority to subject a suspect, offender or con-
victed of a crime to certain conditions and obligations that do not include imprison-
ment, should be uncomplicated, easy and not burdensome in accordance with the
principle of minimum intervention.
These rules contain the legal safeguards that shall be available to offenders subject
to non-custodial measures, so that they can appeal in matters affecting their rights
in the implementation of measures. The offenders should be entitled to make re-
quests and complaints, and their dignity should be protected at all times, the same
as their rights and their families’ rights to privacy.
I. Pre-trial stage
The Tokyo Rules advocate for the public prosecution dealing with criminal cases
to be empowered to discharge the offender if they consider that it is not neces-
sary to proceed with the case for the protection of society, crime prevention or
the promotion of respect for the law and the rights of victims. They also insist
that pre-trial detention should be used as a means of last resort in criminal pro-
ceedings, and should not be lengthy, with due regard for the investigation of the
alleged offense and for the protection of society and the victim. Accordingly, the
offender should have the right to appeal to a judicial or other competent inde-
pendent authority in cases where pre-trial detention is employed.
The international community has taken as a priority the activation of restorative
justice in criminal matters, by initiating prompt measures to stay proceedings,
noting that the community shows inclination towards reconciliation with offend-
ers in simple offenses.
The basic principles on the use of restorative justice programmes in criminal
matters, which were adopted by the Economic and Social Council Resolution
2002/12, dated 24th July 2002 emphasizes this dimension, based on the be-
lief that restorative justice is a thriving approach that aims at protecting human
dignity and equality of all people, and promoting understanding, solidarity and
social harmony. It works towards providing compensation for victims, and es-
tablishing reconciliation and safety, and encourages offenders to recognize the
reasons for their unlawful behaviour and its consequences, and assume respon-
sibility, the same as it enhances trust in the justice system.
Restorative justice plays an indispensable role in boosting the understanding
of civil society of the reasons that lie behind the emergence of some crimes.
It should be used only with the free and voluntary consent of the parties, who
should be able to withdraw such consent at any time during the process. Agree-
ments should be arrived at voluntarily by the parties and contain only reasonable
and proportionate obligations. In addition, participation in a restorative process
should not be used as evidence of admission of guilt in subsequent legal pro-

ceedings, and discussions in restorative processes should be confidential and
should not be disclosed subsequently, except with the agreement of the par-
ties. Judicial discharges based on agreements arising out of restorative justice
programs should have the same status as judicial decisions or judgments and
should preclude prosecution in respect of the same facts (non bis in idem). Facil-
itators should show good understanding of local cultures and communities and,
and should receive initial training before taking up facilitation duties and should
also receive in-service training.
II. Trial and sentencing stage

It becomes possible, at the trial and sentencing stage, to implement non-custo-
dial measures, in case the mediation intervention fails under restorative justice.
For this reason, the Tokyo Rules confirm that, if the possibility of social inquiry
reports exists, the judicial authority may avail itself of a report prepared by a
competent, authorized official or agency. The report should contain social infor-
mation on the offender that is relevant to the person’s pattern of offending and
current offenses. It should also contain information and recommendations that
are relevant to the sentencing procedure. The report shall be factual, objective
and unbiased, with any expression of opinion clearly identified.
A range of non-custodial measures enshrined in the Tokyo Rules are at its dis-
posal of the judicial authority, to take them into consideration in making its de-
cision on the rehabilitative needs of the offender, the protection of society and
the interests of the victim, who should be consulted whenever appropriate. Sen-
tencing authorities may dispose of cases in ways that include:
• Verbal sanctions, such as admonition, reprimand and warning;
• Conditional discharge;
• Status penalties;
• Economic sanctions and monetary penalties, such as fines and day-fines;
• Confiscation or an expropriation order;
• Restitution to the victim or a compensation order;
• Suspended or deferred sentence;
• Probation and judicial supervision;
• A community service order;
• Referral to an attendance centre;

• House arrest;
• Any other mode of non-institutional treatment;
III. Post-sentencing stage

It should be noted that the decision on post-sentencing dispositions, parole,
furlough and half-way houses or remission shall be subject to review by a judicial
or other competent independent authority, upon request by the offender, thus
making the implementation phase subject to considerations that change based
on the purpose of the sanction and the offender’s susceptibility.
The Tokyo Rules recommend, inter alia, the non-custodial measure is suscep-
tible to suspension at early stage if the offender shows commitment to the re-
storative interventions. Yet, non-custodial measures hinge on the stakeholders’
willingness to strike a balance between the needs of the community, the offender
and the victim, and to provide oral and written explanations of the conditions
required for the measure, adaptable based on the degree of commitment of the
offender.
Special non-custodial measures for children have been adopted in the the Unit-
ed Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice
(Beijing Rules), which were replicated in the United Nations Convention on the
Rights of the Child ratified since 1991, and later in the Child Protection Code is-
sued in 1995. A large variety of disposition measures endorsed by Beijing Rules
including:
• Care, guidance and supervision orders;
• Probation;
• Community service orders;
• Intermediate treatment and other treatment orders;
• Orders to participate in group counselling and similar activities;
• Orders concerning foster care, living communities or other educational set-
tings.
Equally important, no juvenile should be removed from parental supervision,
whether partly or entirely, unless the circumstances of her or his case make this
necessary.
It should be noted that this approach requires taking into account gender-specif-
ic measures to achieve criminal justice for women, as contained in United Na-
tions Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures
for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules) issued in December 2010. The provi-
sions of the Tokyo Rules (57 to 66) guide the development and implementation
of appropriate responses to women offenders. They stipulate that gender-spe-
cific options for diversionary measures and pre-trial and sentencing alternatives
should be developed within Member States’ legal systems, and that women
offenders should not be separated from their families and communities without
due consideration being given to their backgrounds and family ties.
Rule 59 confirms that, generally, non-custodial means of protection, for example
in shelters managed by independent bodies, non- governmental organizations
or other community services, should be used to protect women who need such
protection. Correspondingly, temporary measures involving custody to protect a
woman should only be applied when necessary and expressly requested by the
woman concerned. Unlike what is applied for men, when sentencing women of-
fenders, courts should have the power to consider mitigating factors such as lack
of criminal history and relative non-severity and nature of the criminal conduct, in
the light of women’s caretaking responsibilities and typical backgrounds. And as
enshrined in rule 64, non-custodial sentences for pregnant women and women
with dependent children shall be preferred where possible and appropriate.
B. The Judicial Application of Non-custodial Measures
The Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure have included many
non-custodial measures that cover prosecution, the court of competent jurisdiction
and the execution of the prison sentence, on the way to include a range of mea-
sures proposed to the Commission on the revision of the Criminal Code, like the
daily offense or electronic surveillance bracelet or others. However, the difficulties
that face the effectuation of many of the measures already in law, have made the
provisions enshrined at this level mere ink on paper.
The efforts geared to overcome the practical difficulties faced by the application
of these measures would certainly raise awareness of the various stakeholders in
the penal system. This chapter takes aim at spotlighting the roles of the public
prosecutor, and of the judiciary in non-custodial measures, and look finally at the
implementation phase of prison penalty.
I. The role of the prosecutor in the non-custodial measures
Law has authorized the public prosecutor to take several non-custodial mea-
sures for good reasons to keep the defendant in release, and that the presence
of the lawyer with his client at the judicial police entitles him to be present with
him before the prosecutor, whenever the offense perpetrated is subject to con-
ciliation, which would undoubtedly smooth the path for good decision-making,
and to revive the criminal conciliation institution which has been inactivated for
more than ten years.
1. The Presence of the Lawyer at the Investigative Proceedings:

Pursuant to the provisions under law No. 5-2015, the presence of the law-
yer before the preliminary investigation judge can be considered a quantum
leap in providing guarantees of a fair trial proceedings from the outset of
investigation. Thus, the lawyer became an active participant in ensuring the
proper functioning of the initial hearings, which is truly an important transition
in the penal system thanks to the joint efforts for the application of this law.
Notwithstanding the difficulties and imperfections it contains, it has led to a
marked reduction in the number of preventive detention orders, by repealing
all unjustified decisions or those built on the discretion of the judicial po-
lice. The presence of the lawyer has an impact on ensuring the proper deci-
sion-making relating to preventive detention, which now requires written per-
mission and exclusively within the jurisdiction of the prosecutor in all cases.
The legal basis for the mandate of the prosecutor stipulates that he should
“diligently decide on the complaints and denunciations which he receives or
which are submitted to him,” with all discretion to choose the appropriate
pursuit instrument, based on what is required by the circumstances of each
incident separately. This ‘real reconciliation’ carried out during preliminary
investigation is usually open to every good advice provided by mediators to
settle the dispute, as a successful intervention that leads to immediate stay
of proceedings. The prosecutor and judicial police spare no effort to solve
outstanding problems, usually with the help of the lawyer within the scope of
legal advice and assistance if requested by his customer.
The prosecutor, in addition to being entrusted with the power of non-permis-
sion for preventive detention unless it is an exceptional measure in cases like
the seriousness of the crime, has the right to take some non-custodial mea-
sures to ensure the presence of the defendant if allowed interim release after
finishing the legal preventive detention term. A law issued on 14th May 1975,
and revised in 2008, provides for some measures like a fifteen-day travel ban,
if it would affect the conduct of the case.
Within the scope of exercise of his functions in relation to the Judicial Police,
the prosecutor is also entitled to authorize the presentation of the defendant
after investigation, as a flexible procedural measure to avoid renewal of pre-
ventive detention whenever required to appear before the prosecutor. This is
done to either give the defendant a summons for a dated session to ensure
his appearance, or to initiate mediation procedures under the restorative jus-
tice approach, including the conduct of a social research if accused of theft,
or to refer the case directly to the court to verify whether or not the defendant
is to be detained. The prosecutor opts for these measures in certain cases
to avoid preventive detention, as a form of procedural flexibility, and to boost
the role of the lawyer at the judicial police in case of any action taken against
the defendant, and before the prosecutor if the case is subject to conciliation
interventions.
2. The Public Prosecutor and Mediation

The legislator has organized mediation in criminal law within the provisions
of the Code of Criminal Procedure under Article 335bis which stipulates that
“conciliation by mediation in criminal matters tends to guarantee compen-
sation for the damage caused to the victim of the acts attributed to the de-
fendant and to restore the defendant’s sense of responsibility and ensure his
reintegration into social life”. This law has accordingly made the prosecutor
as a restorative actor who may propose to the parties a conciliation by me-
diation in criminal matters, before the initiation of legal proceedings, either
on his own initiative or upon request of the defendant or the victim or upon
request of the lawyer of one of them, in all infractions and misdemeanours.
The Lawyer’s Handbook on Legal Aid, Non-custodial Measures
and Probation Offenses Eligible for Mediation
All Infractions
All the following misdemeanours
247 226 bis. 225 220 218

Gossiping prejudice of good Inflicting bodily Participation Severe vio-
morals or commit- harm to others in a battle lence
ting debauchery unintentionally
280 277- 256 255 248

the appropriation Fraudulent dis- entering the Trouble after false allega-
of a movable thing position of an private property execution tion
found fortuitously undivided property of others with-
before partition out their consent
297 296 293 286 282
Breach of trust Pretending to Continuous re- Destruction, Inability to
know the place of covery of an ex- removal or pay after be-
the stolen against tinguished debt displace- ing served
a sum of money ment of real with drinks
estate signs or food
Law N° 22-1962 264 309 304 298

The non-presenta- Theft (for non-re- involuntary fire damage to Illegitimate
tion of a child cidivist, the property abstention
with social investi- of others from per-
gation) forming a
contract
The lawyer’s role is of paramount importance in activating the conciliation by medi-

ation in criminal matters under the supervision of the prosecutor. The judicial appli-
cations proved that his contribution is inextricably vital to reach a conciliation agree-
ment between the parties to the conflict, with regard to his close relationship with
his client, both as victim and defendant, which necessarily facilitates the mediation
work for both parties, and helps them reach a consensus easily. The defendant is
obliged to attend the hearing personally. He may be assisted by a lawyer, to discuss
the facts and receive suggestions on how to reach a conciliation, after clarifying
the legal consequences that may arise from the execution of a conciliation. The
victim is not obliged to attend the hearing personally. He may be represented by a
lawyer, under a special power of attorney, unless his presence is necessary for the
mediation, to listen to his concerns, needs and reaction to the defendant’s apology.
Thus, the assigned lawyers can negotiate and exchange reports, and an execution
Part Two Non-custodial Measures
deadline shall be fixed, of a period not exceeding six months from the date of sig-
nature, should be fixed for the parties (the period may be extended to three months
once and by reasoned decision). The minutes must be signed by the parties, and in
case the defendant refrains from providing evidence for the execution of the terms
of agreement, then the prosecutor diligently determines the subsequent criminal
justice proceedings against the defendant. If the plaintiff refrains from executing the
terms of conciliation, which included actions to be performed, the public proceed-
ings against the defendant, who fulfilled his part of the agreement, shall be stayed.
Therefore, lawyers should spare no effort to succeed the mediation endeavors, with
regard to the provisions of the decision of the Minister of Justice dated April 22,
2016 and published in the Official Gazette N° 35-2016, which limits the number
of public institutions served by every lawyer, with a reference table that provides
guidelines for the estimation of lawyer’s fees, including fees for mediation work.
This decision takes into account remuneration for the lawyer in case he provides aid
to clients in a mediation process. The Regional Branch of the National Bar Associa-
tion has included fees for the mediation mechanism in the table, beside the regular
fees the lawyer receives in case he is assigned counselling for a defendant in crim-
inal matters, which is a clear recognition of the lawyer’s efforts in both processes.
3. Conciliation by Mediation in the Juvenile Court:

Article 113 of the Child Protection Code defines mediation as a mechanism
aimed at reaching a conciliation between the offending child, or his legal
representative, with the victim, his representative or his successors in title.
It aims to stop the effects of criminal prosecution, trial and execution. Medi-
ation may be carried out at any time from the date on which the crime was
committed until the date of enforcement of the sentence against the child,
be it a penal sentence or a preventive measure. The request for mediation is
presented to the Child Protection Officer either by the child or by his or her
legal representative, noting that the role of the lawyer is very crucial through-
out the mediation process.
4. Conciliation with Public Administrations:

The legislature gives many public administrations the right to initiate public
proceedings, and the defendant in criminal cases the right to seek a con-
ciliation agreement with these administrations, including Customs Admin-
istration, Forestry and the Environment, and the Department of Economic
Monitoring.
A good example of non-custodial measures undertaken is when public ad-

ministrations decide to stay proceedings through a conciliation agreement
with offenders who are subject to imprisonment for the acts they committed.
And here again the lawyer fulfils an important part through his endeavors to
reach a conciliation accord with the administration, to avoid putting the of-
fender to detention or even after.
The lawyer should have deep insight into the requests raised by the admin-
istration, which would help him find common grounds for the parties to the
conflict, especially if the offender is subject imprisonment and financial pen-
alties. These endeavours come even before the initiation of non-custodial
measures in front of the court of competent jurisdiction.
II. Non-custodial Measures in the Court of Competent Jurisdiction:

Once the prosecutor makes a decision on referral, the court of competent juris-
diction will have all judicial powers to deal with the penal case, by either referring
the case to the investigating judge, as an independent judicial body, or to the
penal judge, with its composition, and in all cases the activation of non-custodial
measures becomes possible.
1. Interim Release:
The legislator has enshrined, within the provisions of Article 85 of the the
Code of Criminal Procedure, obligatory release ordered by the investigating
judge to the accused who has a fixed residence in Tunisia and who has not
previously been sentenced to a penalty of more than six months imprison-
ment, when the maximum penalty provided for by the law does not exceed
two years imprisonment, with the exception of the offenses of involuntary
manslaughter or threatening national security. There is still an ample scope
for the interim release with or without surety which covers all cases referred
to the investigating judge, or the indictment chamber or the competent crimi-
nal courts at its different degrees. The release with surety contained in Article
86 is rarely in force, although the legislator has enshrined all conditions for
surety under Article 89 of the the Code of Criminal Procedure; this surety
entails either the deposit in the treasury of a sum in cash or certified checks
or securities, or a person, with sufficient solvency, who takes responsibility
for the defendant’s appearing in court during all investigation process, or for
paying to the treasury an amount determined by the judge in case of failing to

ensure the defendant’s appearing in court, especially if the advance deposits
made by the civil party will be a surety for release, to strike protect the right
of the victim against the interim release.
The interim release without surety has always been in force in courts, although
measures necessary in this case are not always respected, that law clearly
stipulates that “interim release may be ordered only with the requirement
that the defendant undertakes to respect the measures imposed in whole or
in part by the investigating judge”. These five measures were difficult to be
activated in the past, for lack of an independent institution that ensures the
follow-up and provides objective reports on the extent to which the released
defendant respects the measures imposed. The Probation Office comes as a
mechanism that ensures follow-up and reporting of these measures through
specialized supervisors and justice agents who have enough professional-
ism, with facilities that help succeeding their missions. The probation office
provides guarantees for the respect of follow-up in compliance with measures
defined by the investigating judge, which will certainly make interim release,
as demanded by the lawyer, a successful non-custodial measure, and will
respond to the legal requirements, not to ignore its utility in verifying whether
or not criminality is ingrained in the defendant by individualizing cases.
2. Community Service Orders (CSO):

The Community Service Order was enshrined in Article 15 since 2002, and
was then expanded under the law 68-2009 issued on 12th August 2009. In
case the court pronounces imprisonment for a period not exceeding one
year, this sentence can be replaced by unpaid community service order, for
a period not exceeding six hundred hours on the basis of two hours for each
day in jail, and its ordered for all contraventions and many misdemeanours.
The Lawyer’s Handbook on Legal Aid, Non-custodial Measures and Probation

A table of the offenses covered by the community service order
1. All contraventions
2. misdemeanors punishable by imprisonment not exceeding one year
Gossiping Participation in a battle Calumny Severe violence
Trouble after exe- dispossession by force appropriation of a mov- Inflicting bodily

cution of a property belonging able thing found fortu- harm to others
to others. itously unintentionally
uttering slogans defamation against involuntary fire Mendicity

contrary to moral- public or private sports
ity institutions
Theft Fraudulent disposition interfering registered Invading fields
of an undivided proper- buildings
ty before partition
committing de- The harassment of prejudice of good mor- damage to the

bauchery others by prejudice to als property of oth-
good morals ers
Illegitimate ab- false allegation Destruction, removal or The non-presen-
stention from per- displacement of real es- tation of a child
forming a contract tate signs
refusal to per- the concealment of as- Issuing bad checks Abusing a child
form military ser- sets of a debtor under the defen-
vice dant’s authority
Inability to pay after be- repeated and intentional Violating the
ing served with drinks intoxication freedom of pub-
or food licity
All offenses violat-
ing the following
laws
All offenses aris- All offenses arising o f f e n s e s a r i s i n g All offense aris-
ing from industri- from Social Security from driving incidents ) ing from labor
al accidents and Law except for the offense of law
occupational dis- driving while intoxicated
eases or when connected to
the hit and run offense(.
All environmental All offenses arising All offenses arising offenses relating
offenses from consumer protec- from competition and to town planning
tion law pricing law
Due to many constraints facing its application, the community service or-
der keeps inactivated, notwithstanding the wide range of contraventions and
misdemeanours it covers, and the higher rates of offenses treated as misde-
meanours by courts, which usually amount to 70 %.
The legislator, within the last revision conducted in 2009, has included more
flexibility to the community service order, while maintaining the requirement
for eligible convicts to be non-recidivist, leading to the implementation of Ar-
ticle 47 of the Penal Code, which stipulates that it is necessary to verify that
the previous sentence was fully served, and not just a reoffending subject to
lawsuit.
The second condition, which requires that “the court, before the pronounce-
ment of the sentence, must inform the accused” has been repealed, and
replaced by “the court must inform the accused of his right to refuse commu-
nity service and records his answer”.
The defendant, whenever he appears before the judge, has the right to sub-
mit, through his lawyer, a report that includes a request for the implementa-
tion of the community service order, and this report will serve as the consent
of the defendant to accept the sanction, and there is no need for further con-
firmation of the court by “informing him of his right to refuse”, especially that
his counsel has declared his position through his report to the court at his ap-
pearance. Accordingly, it has become possible that the court can pronounce
the sentence in the presence of the defendant, which requires attention to the
sentence enforcement procedures, advice and legal awareness, especially
from the secretariat of the court, to avoid the elapsed-terms of punishments,
which might render alternative sanction inoperable.
Therefore, to simplify the implementation procedures, the court secretariat,
and after verifying the identity of the defendant, gives him or his counsel,
a certificate of conviction which contains all the information and sentence
enforcement deadlines for the probation office, which would certainly ensure
more respect for time limits, in case the court would want to proceed with the
prison sentence pronounced before.
3. The Criminal Compensation Sanction:

The basic principles on the use of restorative justice programs in criminal
matters have formed an important reference framework for establishing crim-
inal compensation in the criminal justice system, which was also based on
the International Standards for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power (General
Assembly resolution 29/11/1985). This required that the governments should
review practices and regulations, to make the restitution option available to
sentencing in criminal matters as well as other criminal sanctions. Criminal
compensation was first enshrined under law No. 68-2009 in August 12, 2009
in Article15 quater of the Penal Code. It aims to replace the prison sentence
not exceeding six months by a financial compensation determined by the
court. For the pronouncement of a criminal compensation, it is required that
the defendant is present in court, and was not convicted before by a crimi-
nal compensation or imprisonment. The execution of criminal compensation
should be carried out in a period not exceeding three months from the date
of expiry of the appeal period, or from the date of the final verdict. A sum of
money (between 20 and 5000 dinars) should be repaid to victims as a com-
pensation for the damage caused directly by the offense, as an alternative to
the prison sentence.
The Lawyer’s Handbook on Legal Aid, Non-custodial

Measures and Probation
Criminal compensation can be ordered for all offenses punishable by imprisonment
Or for all misdemeanours punishable by imprisonment not exceeding six months
Except those explicitly prohibited as on the following table:
Offenses not covered by criminal compensation:
Penal code
90 87 bis. 87 85
Any judge who did not Corruption of public of- Corruption intermedi- Corruption of public
recuse himself after re- ficial to grant to others ary with public official official
ceiving objects, values an unfair advantage
or amounts of money
104 103 101 91
Any public official who The use of violence by The use of violence by Corruption of public
abuses a defendant or public officials against public officials official
a witness to unjustly ac- a defendant or a wit-
quire immovable prop- ness
erty
128 127 126/1 125

involving public officials Violence against a Outrage against a Violence against public
or similar, through the public official magistrate at the hear- officers through words,
press or advertising, ing gestures or threats
without establishing the
truth.
212 209 206 143
Refrain from providing Participating in violent Support for suicide Failure to comply with
for the maintenance of brawl resulting in mur- a legal requisition
the minor der
224/1 219/1 215/1 214
Abusing a child violence inflicted upon Maliciously adminis- Provide abortion of a
the body of another ter to another person pregnant woman
person, which results a destructive thing to
in disfigurement become mentally inca-
pacitated or physically
helpless
240 bis. 238 228 bis 227/bis./2
Hide or evade search for kidnapping or divert- Unforced sexual Sexual intercourse with
a minor ing or moving a minor abuse of young child a female aged between
without fraud or vio- under eighteen years fifteen and twenty, with
lence of age her consent
284 244 243 241
Confiscating other’s Forcing someone to Perjury in a criminal or Deliberately hiding the
money or forging a sig- give false testimony civil case truth in the interest of
nature the accused
traffic code
90 unintentional vehicular manslaughter 89 Unintentional injury
commercial code
411/1 411 issuing bad checks
knowingly modifying the signature in order to
make it impossible for the drawee to make
the payment, or refusal to return check forms
Among the practical difficulties posed for the criminal compensation is in fact the
confusion that may happen between the right of plaintiff to commence a civil ac-
tion and the compensation ordered by the court in the form of sanction. This is a
mere theoretical confusion, since the court will take into account the value of civil
compensation when ordering this sanction which is also a financial compensation
essentially subject to the standards for estimating the penalty and not to the civil
compensation standards. The compensation sanction should not annul the right of
the plaintiff to discuss the material and moral damage which may be compensated
by more than five thousand dinars, or the right to proceed a civil action until the
exercise of his appeals.
There are also various difficulties regarding how to make the payment to the plain-
tiff, the procedural complications at the rejection, the making of a compensation of-
fer, the authorization of payment, the deposit in the treasury, evidence for payment,
and respect of deadlines for appearance before the prosecutor. These difficulties
are in fact obstacles that face the convict subject to this alternative sanction, which
is supposed to be a flexible effective non-custodial measure. For this reason, many
courts, like Kairouan Court of First Instance, have sought to overcome these diffi-
culties through the certificate of conviction itself.
A Sample of a certificate of conviction ordering a criminal

compensation
The First Instance Court has ruled in the presence of the defendant its following
sentence :
To replace six months (or less) of imprisonment for ........................................…..
by a criminal compensation of 5 thousand dinars (or less, based on the serious-

ness of the crime, affordability, and the civil compensation) to be deposited in the
treasury as a redress for the plaintiff.
The convict should not three months from the date of expiry of the appeal period
(or less, based on the seriousness of the crime and the speed of execution) to
execute to this service, or he shall repay the compensation with insurance.
The legal aid provided by the lawyer in handing over a copy of the certificate of
conviction, or of any document that contains the penal sentence provided by the
secretariat of the court, to the convict, will help overcoming all those difficulties. It
will lead to prompt restitution for the victim in deadlines, the same as it will help the
convict avoid detention in case of non-payment, and its subsequent procedural
complications, as authorized by the court, especially the legislator has required that
the community service order and criminal compensation cannot be registered in
bulletin no 3 of the criminal record, to motivate positive interaction with alternative
sanctions and encourage its acceptance.
3 The Role of the Lawyer in Probation
3 The Role of the Lawyer in Probation
Most of the comparative experiences agree that the concept of probation entails a
range of activities and psychological and social interventions, directed both to chil-
dren in conflict with the law or to defendants or convicts in general, which induce
their sense of guilt or regret, and ensure their reintegration into the community, and
help them build resilience in an open space. These activities take aim at reducing
recidivism, and ensure the security and safety of the community. In the following
chapters, we will shed light on the phases of the launch of the probation office, and
the key challenges and prospects for this project.
A. The Inception of the Probation Office:
The creation of this mechanism has started first with a pilot project that laid founda-
tion for an effective probation office.
I. The stage of establishing a pilot project:

Though enshrined in law, especially the community service order since the is-
suance of law N° 89-1999 dated 02th August 1999, and the conciliation by me-
diation in law N° 93-2002, it should be noted that alternative sanctions have
remained de facto inactivated, despite the many serious attempts to avoid the
legal and practical difficulties faced by the criminal courts, and stood as obsta-
cles to the defense requests.
However, the Court of First Instance in Kairouan has tried since 2008 to meet
these challenges, and capitalized an important experience in the implementation
of non-custodial measures. The success of Kairouan’s experience was a source
of inspiration for all the justice system, which led to the organization of a regional
meeting under the supervision of the Ministry of Justice, and was attended by
most of the sentence enforcement judges. It was an opportunity to flag up the
difficulties posed, and propose alternatives and solutions. In the following year,
the 68-2009 law was issued to overcome the practical obstacles in the commu-
nity service order, by repealing some requirements like “expressing remorse at
the trial session” or “informing the defendant of the right to refuse”, and to be
“present before the sentence pronouncement”. These legal revisions enhance
procedural flexibility, and boost the role of the lawyer, the same as they unbur-
den the courts, by expanding the scope of implementing community service to
cover other offenses, and by enshrining the new criminal compensation as an
alternative non-custodial measure, not to ignore the expansion of the scope of
implementing the conciliation by mediation mechanism.
Pursuant to the partnership between the Ministry of Justice and the International
Red Cross since 2005, an agreement was concluded between the two parties
within the scope of their common objectives to launch a pilot project and a
working group which consists of judges from the district of the Court of Appeal
of Sousse (Sousse - Kairouan) and the Director of Civil Prison in Messadine.
They took aim at to establishing a pilot project under the the supervision of the
international expert Mr. André Vallotton. This project aims to apply alternative
sanctions, and initiate conciliation by mediation in criminal matters, and interim
release which all seek to effectuate new mechanisms to reform the penal system
and develop new punitive methods, in parallel with the second project for a pilot
rehabilitative prison in Mahdia. The pilot project in Sousse is on track since 08th
February 2010, seeking to develop practical mechanisms to smooth the imple-
mentation of community service orders and non-custodial measures in line with
the legal texts, and to use the convenient ways to reduce overcrowding in pris-
ons, the escalating recidivism and the growing public spending, in accordance
with international principles and guidelines.
Various workshops have been organized on a regular basis by the working
group, on their own initiative, or under the supervision of the Ministry of Justice,
or with the help of experts from the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) over two years to the end of the year 2012. A study-visit of the Working
Group to Switzerland in order to get insight into the Swiss justice system and
methods of implementation of alternative sanctions, especially the community
service order. This has given an impetus to a domesticated probation structure,
rooted in the Tunisian cultural and societal environment, and to all stakeholders
who vowed to succeed this experience by developing probation based on the
existing tools, on the purpose to carry out all necessary legislative reforms to
launch a project that is legally full-fledge. The outcome of all these efforts was
the creation of an institution that ensures the proper application of alternative
sanctions, and serves as an executive body to the sentence enforcement judge
and probation, including follow-up, advice, assistance, rehabilitation and rein-
tegration for defendants subject to this procedure in an open space. Training
workshops were organized for the benefit of officials of the General Directorate
of Prisons and Rehabilitation by Mr. Jacque MONNEY, President of the Fonda-
tion Vaudoise de Probation, in collaboration with the International Committee of the
Red Cross, after a visit to districts of Fribourg, Canton of Vaud and Lausanne, under
continuous guidance and supervision of the public prosecutor, Mr. Abdelhamid
Aabada, as head of the working group.
The probation office was created for for the first time in the the First Instance
Court of Sousse 2, on Wednesday, January 23, 2013.
II. Stage of Exercise and Judicial Application of Probation:
1. The Outset of the Probation Office

With the support of Penal Reform International and the Program for Judicial
Reform Support, funded by the European Union, the second phase has wit-
nessed the launch of a series of scientific and training programs. Initiated
by the Penal Reform International and its partners, training workshops have
been staged for probation officers, prison agents, judges and lawyers, who
constitute the pillars of the criminal justice system. Support was also offered
to civil society organizations through capacity-building programs. The proba-
tion office has thus become a nucleus for activities carried out in cooperation
with a network of stakeholders who all strive to improve its functions, and
meet the challenges that hamper its mission.
What has been achieved so far by this office is the fruit of the continuous
support of the Penal Reform International and its partners, and the active
contribution of all parties involved, who spare no effort to meet the goals set
for this probation mechanism.
For this purpose, a joint committee has been created on 16 April 2016, which
constitutes of judges from the working group of the pilot project, under the
supervision of the prosecutor of the Court of Appeal of Sousse, and represen-
tatives of civil society organizations. This committee convenes periodically to
facilitate work, and promote cooperation and partnership with the probation
office, not to ignore the important role played by the lawyer at this level.
The Probation office consists of the sentence enforcement judge who super-
vises the work of four probation officers brought from the General Directorate
of Prisons and the rehabilitation, and a secretariat.
Organizational Chart of the Probation Office
THE SENTENCE ENFORCEMENT JUDGE
The Regional Branch of the National Bar Association is deeply convinced

that the probation office will be a vanguardist institution in the promotion of
non-custodial measures, and that this pilot project raises much hope in a
promising probation experience, after revision of the Code of Criminal Pro-
cedure, especially in the reintegration of defendants in social life, and avoid
imprisonment which certainly generates recidivism after abrupt release to the

open space, without any rehabilitation phase. All these tools would serve the
goals set for probation, among which the reduction of recidivism, rehabilita-
tion and reintegration, particularly for first-time offenders.
2. The Judicial Applications of the Probation Office:
> Defendants Subject to Community Service Order:

The Probation Office receives the convict who meets the sentence enforce-
ment judge for an initial conversation. The convict then provides information
about the crime he perpetrated, and his qualifications and background. Later,
he goes through a medial examination to eventually identify the kind of work
he is supposed to do, based on his qualifications and vocational background,
or with regard to the community value he violated. For instance, a defendant
who damages any public property, like a hospital or a railroad or an edu-
cational institution, shall provide services that redress this damage, as an
expression of remorse for the offense committed, and a revival of his sense
of responsibility towards the community. The convict should be informed of
his right to adequate safeguards and medical insurance against accidents at
work, and his right to stop work in cases of occupational diseases, and how
to resume working after legitimate excuses.
After agreement with the beneficiary (NGO or institution) on the calendar of
work, the probation officers start performing their part by providing advice
and assistance for the other agents who are supposed to know everything
about the convict, and his social and psychological conditions. Convicts
should carry out the community services ordered in uniform, and with the
rest of the workers, without any form of discrimination, so as not to be singled
out or exploited.
The sentence enforcement judge writes a final report that confirms the per-
formance of the sanction, and transmits it to the prosecutor who authorizes
the stay of proceedings. The person concerned has the right to receive a
document that certifies the execution of the punishment which will be omit-
ted from his criminal record, either automatically by virtue of law, or otherwise
by correspondence from the prosecutor to the forensic identification service.
> Defendants Subject to Parole:

As an important non-custodial sanction, parole, when ordered by the sen-
tence enforcement judge, is usually combined with a community service or-
dered for a public or private institution for the remaining duration of the prison
sentence (Article 357, CCP).
Therefore, and based on the nature of every individual case, the prisoner, who
spent half or two-thirds of the eight-month period, has the right to benefit
from this non-custodial measure combined with parole, by contacting the
probation office, and completing the aforementioned procedures.
Given the importance of interventions, every probation officer covers a spe-
cific geographical area, to facilitate movement and follow-up, to smooth con-
sultations later in the office where necessary, and under the guidance and
supervision of the sentence enforcement judge.
> Follow-up Measures for the Juvenile

As specified in Articles 87 and 93 of the Child Protection Code, the probation
office, after receiving a resolution on follow-up for a child, proceeds in a se-
ries of interventions, which include social research, psychological examina-
tion, in-office consultations with the parents, and the preparation of a detailed
report to be referred to the investigating judge. Among the results of these
interventions the reintegration of a child in the work of antiques industry.
The Scope of intervention of Probation Office

All convicts subject to community service orders
All defendants released under parole to serve the remaining period of the
sentence as community service, pursuant to Article 357 of the CCP on parole
measure
Juvenile subject to follow-up measures ordered by the juvenile court or the in-
vestigating judge for the juvenile
The Probation Office may cover the following measures, conforming to law
All measures imposed on convicts benefitting from interim release during trial
All juvenile in case of ordering a review mechanism for a reformatory punishment
Statistical data
Community
Service
The total num- Performed Unperformed Cases referred In-process
ber of cases cases cases to other courts cases
192 55 89 16 32
Parole
The total Performed Unperformed Cases referred In-process
number cases cases to other courts cases
478 63 337 32 46
The Juvenile
The total Performed Unperformed Cases referred In-process
number cases cases to other courts cases
11 4 2 0 5
The total number of cases is 681, with a 5 % of recidivism, while recidivism in prison
sentences amounts to 45 %.
B. Challenges and Opportunities:

Despite the various challenging difficulties that face the probation office, there is still
a strong will to succeed this approach among all stakeholders, including the judges
of the Court of Appeal of Sousse, the regional branch of the National Bar Associa-
tion, the Civil Prison of Messadine, and the support provided by the Penal Reform
International. In the following, we introduce the key challenges posed, as well as the
opportunities available for the success of probation.
I. Challenges Facing Probation:

Among the challenges faced by the probation office is the reluctance of the
criminal courts to put into force community service orders, whether due to lack
of conditions for this non-custodial sanction, among other penalties provided in
law, which do involve the probation office for its execution, like fines or suspend-
ed prison sentences. The enforcement of these sentences is usually uncompli-
cated, since it is not subject to many conditions, unlike the alternative sanctions,
especially community services in relation to the probation office.
The difficulties that may face the implementation of the community service order:
> How mandatory is the presence of the defendant during all trial sessions?
Or is it enough to be present in one session? and how to inform him of the
right to reject a community service order? Should this be at all stages or in a
particular stage?
> To what extent it is obligatory for the defendant to express his acceptance
of the community service? Or is he supposed to express only his rejection
without documenting his acceptance that may entail inquiries from the court
about sanctions that do not cover his case, noting that law gives him the right
to express clearly and concisely his refusal if he wants?
> How useful is the registration of the defendant’s opinion by the court if he
rejects the sanction, with reference to the lawyer’s report, which accepts the
execution of the community service, contained in a written request or in re-
quests recorded in the minutes of the session at his presence? Isn’t it a fore-
gone conclusion?
There are of course other difficulties related to the enforcement of commu-
nity service orders, which face the probation office in dealing with sentences
all along the process from the public prosecutor to the sentence enforcement
judge, more particularly when the defendant changes his address, or in case of
non-compliance with terms of execution.
More procedural flexibility in sentence enforcement will certainly help overcom-
ing the aforementioned difficulties. In this case, the lawyer has the right to re-
ceive a copy of the certificate of conviction, to inform the defendant of the sanc-
tion ordered, and urge him to execute it in the provided time limits, which would
facilitate the procedure, and avoid the communication problems that may face
the probation office if the defendant changes his address or does not not know
the work site in Court of Sousse 2, wherein there is no sentence enforcement
judge. The Penal Reform International has convened workshops with judges and
lawyers, to reach consensus solutions to simplify sentence enforcement, with
full respect of the legal texts.
It should be noted that an updated list of prison inmates convicted for less than
8 months was not available for the sentence enforcement judge and the proba-
tion office, because of the lack of an informational system covering this area.
Now this has become possible thanks to the good archival work done in coop-
eration with the Messadine prison administration to overcome this difficulty by
providing a list of cases under eligible to parole.
Nevertheless, there are still pending challenges, including:
> Lack of full-time judges for sentence enforcement, due to the traditional man-
agement styles in the judiciary, especially in the division of work among judg-
es, which ignores the wide scope of intervention of the sentence enforcement
judge and his responsibilities in supervising the probation staff and opera-
tions.
> The challenges facing the agents working with the probation office, especial-
ly the lack of means of transportation to the beneficiary institution to carry
out their regular follow-up functions, after the expiry of appeal terms for those
released by the public prosecutor.
It is more urgent today than ever to find solutions for the challenges raised about
overcrowding in prisons (about ten thousand prisoners above the capacity of
prisons). The overcrowding in prisons has generated pejorative connotations
among inmates, by calling those bedless inmates who sleep directly on the
ground ‘stacks’, and those who sleep on walkways between beds ‘highway
sleepers’.
The high recidivism rates which amount to 45%, the growing public spending on
prison inmates which reaches 30 dinars everyday, the social and financial bur-
dens put on families of defendants convicted for imprisonment, the increasing
number of defendants put to jail for short period sentences to no avail, deten-
tion orders for defendants committing simple offenses, those first-time offenders
detained, which interrupts their studies or work; these are all challenges posed
for the probation office which comes as an experience that emanates from the
philosophy of restorative justice that seeks to institute a new approach in the
judicial system, and to stand against all the problems that face criminal courts,
and influence the community. It is an institution that advocates for alternative
non-custodial measures that may educate and reintegrate defendants into their
communities, and raise their sense of responsibility towards their societies.
II. Opportunities for the Success of Probation
The contribution of the lawyer to the success of the probation office is no less
important than the legislative role he plays in the adoption of international stan-
dards for the application of the law in accordance with a humanitarian approach
to criminal punishment, not to ignore the necessary individualization of cases in
trials, based on the needs of the defendant, the victim and the community, to
ensure rehabilitation and reintegration for defendants, and redress for victims,
and to avoid recidivism.
Criminal Justice should pay more attention to restorative justice in parallel with
the ongoing humanization of the criminal justice system, which is supposed to
give priority to rehabilitation and reintegration, especially for a large segment of
offenders who lapse unintentionally into criminal conduct, and have no previous
felony convictions, especially if the damage caused by their offenses is repara-
ble and can be compensated, to avoid the downsides of imprisonment.
The lawyer should submit a request to the criminal judge who is invited to inter-
act with it, by pronouncing a community service order, if provided by law, either
as included in the memorandum submitted to the Court or in the form of oral
advocacy during the hearing session, whenever the lawyer agrees with the de-
fendant on follow up without further emphasis on registering his rejection of the
sanction if he already declared acceptance in the report.
The probation office, and based on the follow-up reports on parolees, proves
that non-custodial measures enshrined in Article 86 of the Penal Code may serve
as a reference, by using these reports before the court of competent jurisdiction,
and for children as reference for a review mechanism before the juvenile judge
to change the non-custodial measure taken against the child.
Legal aid should cover the enforcement of non-custodial measures, with respect
for human rights and under the supervision of the judiciary, the skilled proba-
tion officers and volunteer lawyers, who play a crucial role in strengthening the
functions of the office, on the purpose to go beyond the retributive approach in
sentencing, and to give more eminence to reintegration and reform.
All the measures undertaken by the probation office may serve as effective tools
of psychological rehabilitation for defendants released, and may restore their
community functioning and well-being inside their families. This conditioned re-
lease reduces possibilities of their relapse into criminal behaviour, which will
definitely raise the criminal court’s confidence in non-custodial measures as real
alternatives to imprisonment.
The legal aid that parallels the transition from the imprisonment-oriented retrib-
utive approach to the restorative open-space measures, as performed by the
sentence enforcement judge and the criminal court, has brought to limelight the
important role of other public administrations and of civil society working in ar-
eas related to sentence enforcement, childhood, reintegration and rehabilitation,
and shelter care institutions, who all help implementing restorative measures
for all eligible defendants. This voluntary and free legal aid may be extended
to those subject to probation measures, to overcome the difficulties and build
on the good practices and the opportunities for the success of this experience,
mainly by providing legal aid in acquiring expungement from the court, which
erases community service orders from their criminal records.
As one of the main components of civil society organizations in Tunisia, the
National Bar Association, and its Regional Branch in Sousse, are certainly im-
portant stakeholders in relation to probation and restorative justice in general.
The National Bar Association has the right to access to information, follow-up
reports and to all activities undertaken by the National Commission for the Pre-
vention of Torture, as an independent public body created under the Basic Law
dated 21st October 2013 after the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the
Convention against Torture. It is worth mentioning that the National Commis-
sion for the Prevention of Torture has commenced work on 30th March 2016, by
conducting regular periodic or sudden visits to detention centers. These recent
institutional developments will undoubtedly give an impetus to legal aid under-
takings based on plans and programs crafted in the light of the statistical data
and research conducted. It will also enhance capacity-building and conscious-
ness raising programs in areas related to conceptual frameworks for alternative
sanctions and the role of the probation office.
A worthwhile partnership between the Regional Branch of the National Bar As-
sociation in Sousse with the General Directorate of Prisons and Rehabilitation
will offer voluntary legal assistance to inmates in the Messadine prison and Sidi
El Hani reformatory, with a joint action plan led by the probation office to prop-
erly perform its functions. Equally important, a participatory and constructive
approach should be accentuated between the probation office and a network of
civil society organizations (more than 18.558 NGOs until March 2016), especially
those working for the reintegration and rehabilitation of the juvenile, parolees
and released defendants, including reformatories, without ignoring the signifi-
cant contribution of lawyers in establishing civil exchange platforms to dissem-
inate legal advice and guide the work of these organization in the various areas
of activity.
All stakeholders should join their efforts to gain support for the legislative institu-
tionalization of probation, and to lay foundation for an official apparatus for crim-
inal sentence enforcement and the monitoring of alternative sanctions, which
will undoubtedly bear fruits in a developing democratic climate.
The success of mechanisms of restorative justice and non-custodial measures
in criminal matters is contingent on the readiness of the criminal judge to place
trust in mechanisms currently available in law, to reach the lower limits of the hu-
manization of sanctions, for children at risk or for prisoners released or for those
serving their sentences. Legislative endeavors should be directed to the refash-
ioning of the penal system, to overcome legal difficulties posed for the criminal
judge in individualizing punishment, and to give the lawyer the right to pass to
the sentence enforcement phase through the enactment of legal mechanisms
that help suggesting alternatives to imprisonment under certain conditions. The
inclusion of these alternatives will help the convict become more responsive
to sanctions based on rehabilitation and reintegration. There is also the pos-
sibility of authorizing, at a final stage of the sentence term, gradual execution
from prison to open space, or a combination of both. We suggest enacting a
basic law to prisons in line with the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment
of Prisoners (December 2015), and cooperating with civil society organizations
in assessment, and suggestion of alternatives and the promotion of voluntary
participation.
The underlying aim of these legislative efforts is to ease the burden on the State
and reduce overcrowding in prisons, not to forget the advantages of the inno-
vative restorative mechanisms in the humanization of punishment, and in im-
plementing measures that restore community order and repair damaged rela-
tionships. They are prerequisite for a social progress based on reconciliation,
solidarity and a sense of national responsibility that emanates from the collective
conscience of civil society, with a deep conviction that “human dignity is above
all”.
Part Three The Probation Launch
Annexes
Annexes
Law No. 2002-93 of 29 October 2002 supplementing the Code of Criminal

Procedure on the institution of mediation in criminal matters
Sole Article - In Chapter IV of the Code of Criminal Procedure, a ninth chapter en-
titled “Mediation in criminal matters” shall be added as follows:
CHAPTER IX - mediation in criminal matters
Article 335 (bis) – Conciliation by mediation in criminal matters tends to guarantee

compensation for the damage caused to the victim of the acts attributed to the
defendant and to restore the defendant’s sense of responsibility and ensure his
reintegration into social life.
Article 335 (ter) - The public prosecutor, before the initiation of legal proceedings,
either on his own initiative or upon request of the defendant or the victim or upon
request of the lawyer of one of them, may propose to the parties conciliation by
mediation in criminal matters, with respect to articles on contravention and in the
offenses provided for in the first paragraph of article 218 and articles 220, 225, 247,
248, 255, 256, 277 , 280, 282, 286 and 293, as well as the first paragraph of Article
297, Articles 298, 304 and 309 of the Penal Code and the offense of the non-pre-
sentation of the child in custody as provided for under Law No. 62-22 of 24 May
1962.
Article 335 (quater) - The public prosecutor takes the initiative to summon both
parties administratively. He may order one of the parties to summon the other par-
ties by bailiff.
The defendant is obliged to attend the hearing personally. He may be assisted by

a lawyer.
The victim may be represented by a lawyer. However, if he does not appear person-
ally, the conciliation can only be made under a special power of attorney.
Article 335 (quinquies) - The public prosecutor, by calling on the parties to the con-
ciliation, takes into account their interests, and records the agreements concluded
between the parties in numerated minutes informing them of the obligations and
consequences arising from them of the conciliation. The prosecutor must remind
them of the requirements of the law, and set a deadline for the performance of all
obligations arising from the conciliation without exceeding six months from the date
of signature.
The public prosecutor may, exceptionally, and in case of absolute necessity, extend
the period of three months once by a reasoned decision.
The minutes must be read to the parties who must sign each page.
It must also be signed by the public prosecutor, the bookkeeper and, if necessary,
the lawyer and the interpreter.
Article335 (sexies) - The mediated conciliation in criminal matters may not be re-
voked even with the consent of the parties except in the case of new elements likely
to change the characterization of the infringement in such a way as to render the
conciliation prohibited by the law.
The conciliation benefits only its parties and can only produce effects with regard to
their beneficiaries or assigns.
Its contents are not binding on third parties.
It is not possible to rely on what was declared by the parties to the public prose-
cutor in connection with the mediated conciliation in criminal matters. It can not be
considered as a confession.
Article 335 (Septies) - If it has not been possible to conclude a conciliation or if

it has not been fully executed within the time allowed, the public prosecutor shall
assess the action to be taken on the complaint.
The total execution of the conciliation within the time limit or the non-execution due
to the act of the victim shall lead to the extinction of the public action against the
accused.
The limitation periods for public proceedings are suspended during the course of
the mediation procedure in criminal matters and during the time allowed for its ex-
ecution.
Law No. 52-2002 dated 03 June 2002, on granting legal aid
FIRST CHAPTER
General provisions
Article 1. Legal aid may be granted in civil cases to any individual claimant or de-
fendant at any stage of the proceedings. It may be awarded in criminal cases to
the civil party and the applicant for revision, as well as in offenses punishable by a
term of imprisonment of at least three years, provided that the applicant for legal
aid is not in a state of legal recidivism. The crimes remain subject to the provisions
in force relating to the requisition.
Legal aid may be granted for the execution of judgments and the exercise of the
right of appeal.
Article 2. Legal aid shall be granted to:
- the legal person carrying on a non-profit-making activity and having its prin-
cipal place of business in Tunisia,
- the foreigner where the Tunisian courts have jurisdiction to hear disputes of
which he is a part, in accordance with a convention on judicial cooperation
in legal aid concluded with the State of which he is a national and subject to
respect of the principle of reciprocity.
Article 3. Legal aid shall be granted on condition that the applicant proves that:
1. that he has no income or that his certain annual income is limited and is not
sufficient to cover legal or enforcement costs, without substantially affecting
his vital requirements,
2. that the alleged right appears to be well founded in the case of an application
for legal aid in civil matters.
CHAPTER SECOND
The Legal Aid Office
Article 4. A specialized office known as the Legal Aid Office shall decide on appli-
cations for legal aid, it shall have its seat in the court of first instance. It consists of :
- the public prosecutor or his deputy, as president,
- a representative of the Ministry of Finance or his deputy appointed by a de-

cree of the competent minister for a period of one year, as a member,
- a lawyer registered within the Court of Cassation, or his substitute of the

same degree, designated by the Minister of Justice on the proposal of the
Bar Association for a period of one year, as a member,
- a registrar appointed by the public prosecutor from among the members of

the tribunal, as registrar.
Should one of the principal members be unable to attend, he shall be replaced

by his alternate.
Article 5. Applications for legal aid shall be submitted directly to the president
of the office of the competent court to decide the dispute or by post by reg-
istered letter.
Article 6. The application must contain in particular:
- the name and surname of the applicant, his place of business, his profession,
his civil status and the number of his identity card or his passport or resi-
dence permit for foreigners,
- a statement of the subject-matter of the action, together with the number of

the case pending, if any, or the number of the judgment rendered.
- The following must be attached to the application:
- a copy of the documents which the applicant invokes in order to prove the
claimed right,
- evidence that the applicant has no income or that his annual income is limited
and is not sufficient to cover legal or enforcement costs, without substantially
affecting his vital requirements.
In the event that the applicant is unable to present all or part of the documents due
to the fact that he can not pay for the fees to be issued or the registration fees and
the fiscal stamp relating thereto, he must indicate this in the application.
Article 7. The Legal Aid Office shall hold its meetings at least once a month unless
the number of requests or their causes require otherwise.
In the case of an application for legal aid in respect of a criminal case, or pending,
or the exercise of a right of appeal, the office must decide on the application before
the hearing or before the expiry of the time limit for appeal.
Article 8. The Legal Aid Office may carry out all the investigations necessary to
inquire about the actual income of the applicant for the aid.
The services of the State and all private companies or natural persons concerned
must make available to the Legal Aid Office all data and information requested by it
to assist in inquiring about the applicant’s income. The provisions of this paragraph
do not apply to tax and statistical services.
Article 9. The President of the Legal Aid Office may decide, on his own, provisional-
ly and outside the official dates of the hearings of the Office, on requests for urgent
assistance and who can not await the holding of the periodical hearing of the Office.
He shall take a decision thereon.
In such cases the Office shall subsequently ratify the decisions of the president, or
decide to withdraw the grant of legal aid if the legal conditions are not met.
Article 10. The Office decides whether to grant legal aid or to refuse it, in the light
of a report submitted by the president.
The office may hear, in civil matters, the applicant for legal aid and the adverse
parties. It may instruct one of its members to make an attempt at reconciliation
between the parties.
Article 11. The decision of granting legal aid must include the designation of its
scope, the nature of the costs it covers, and the legal assistant in charge of aid, after
consent of the aid recipient, if necessary.
If it decides to grant partial legal aid, the office determines its rate and sets out,
where appropriate, the names of the designated legal assistants.
Article 12. The Registrar of the Legal Aid Office shall in all cases notify the appli-
cant directly or by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt of all decisions
rendered within a period not exceeding five days from the date of the decision, and
a copy of these decisions shall be notified to the president of the court hearing the
dispute, to the legal assistants appointed by the office, and to the general treasury.
The registrar of the court hearing the dispute must state on the back of the file “the
benefit of partial or total legal aid by the party concerned”.
The chief registrars of the courts shall transmit to the Ministry of Finance, within
three months of the date of delivery of the judgment, a copy of the judgments of
which one of the parties has received full or partial legal aid.
Article 13. Decisions rendered by the Legal Aid office are not subject to appeal.
The decision to reject the application must state the reasons on which it is based.
If the rejection is motivated by the failure to produce proof of the seriousness of the
application, the person concerned may renew it once he has received new evidence
justifying his application.
The Legal Aid Office shall decide on any difficulties arising in the execution of the
decision to grant legal aid at the request of any person concerned.
CHAPTER THIRD
The costs covered by legal aid
Article 14. Total or partial legal aid shall include the costs normally borne by the
parties and in particular:
- the registration fees and the fiscal stamp relating to the documents submitted
by the applicant to establish his rights,
- late payments and fines incurred for non-payment of registration fees and
stamp duty within the statutory time limits,
- the costs of expert appraisals and the various tasks ordered by the court,
- the costs of notarial deeds authorized to be issued,
- the costs of the judges’ movements,
- the remuneration of the designated lawyer,
- the costs of summons and notifications,
- the costs of legal announcements,
- translation costs, if any,
- the costs of execution.
Article 15. A decree shall lay down the special scheme of fixing lawyers’ fees and
experts’ charges assigned by decision to provide legal aid when these expenses
are chargeable to the aid recipient.
CHAPTER FOUR
The effects of granting legal aid
Article 16. The legal aid decision covers disputes submitted to the courts, cases
pending and those brought before the courts as well as the exercise of a right of
appeal and the reply to that appeal.
Article 17. Legal aid does not cover the costs of exercising other remedies unless
a new application is submitted to the competent Legal Aid Office, and the latter
decides whether or not to grant it.
Article 18. The legal aid recipient may continue to be assisted by the designated
lawyer or bailiff in cases where an appeal has been lodged provided that the Legal
Aid Office is informed.
Article 19. The legal aid decision is granted to cover the costs of a single case.
However, if the need to protect the right or where judicial proceedings require more
than one court or chamber to be seised at the same time, the competent office may
take a decision stating that the legal aid granted covers all costs generated by the
incurred cases.
In such a case, the registrar of the office must inform the president of the Legal Aid
Office of the court in which the dispute is lodged of the decision to generalize cov-
erage so that it may, if necessary, designate legal assistants within its competence.
Article 20. The legal aid recipient shall be exempted from payment of the advance
of the costs of the expert appraisal and the recording of the amounts due as a result
of the exercise of the right of appeal, as laid down by the texts in force.
Article 21. When the legal aid recipient has been adjudicated, the legal costs which
are charged to his opponent and covered by legal aid shall be paid into the general
treasury. The aid recipient has no right to such costs.
In such a case, a judgment is issued to the competent treasurer in order to carry out
execution procedures concerning the expenses of the General Treasury.
Article 22. Where the costs incurred by the legal aid have been judged to be borne
by the aid recipient, such costs shall be borne by the State Treasury unless there is
a special provision exempting the State of their payment.
The benefit of legal aid in criminal matters does not relieve the applicant of the
execution of the judgment against him, both in respect of penalties for pecuniary
or corporal punishment, and in respect of fines or the costs adjudged against him.
Article 23. In the case of a judgment approving the conciliation agreement between
the two parties, the State is subrogated to the rights of the legal aid recipient with
regard to the recovery of the costs awarded to it judicially and which are covered
by legal aid.
Article 24. The lawyers, bailiffs and other judicial officers designated may not refuse
to undertake the missions entrusted to them unless there is a legally valid reason.
In such a case the designated judicial officer may request that he be relieved of
the assignment entrusted to him within three days of the date of notification of the
appointment.
If the ground invoked has been established, the president of the Legal Aid Office
shall replace him/her.
Article 25. The Legal Aid Office may, ex officio or at the request of any interested
party or the public prosecutor, retract the decision to grant legal aid after hearing
the recipient of the aid, in the following cases:
- If the aid recipient comes to have certain established income which make it
ineligible for the aid.
- Or if it turns out that he has concealed his income, in which case the presi-
dent of the office transmits the documents to the public prosecutor.
Total legal aid may be reduced to partial aid if the recipient has an income which
renders him ineligible. In this case, the office must determine the rate of the contri-
bution of the treasury in the coverage of the expenses due.
The Registrar of the Legal Aid Office shall, in all cases and within a period not ex-
ceeding five days from the date of the decision to withdraw or reduce it, inform the
party concerned directly or by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt. He
must also inform the public treasury and the designated judicial officers.
Article 26. The public treasury shall recover by legal means the sums disbursed on
behalf of the legal aid recipient whenever the office decides to withdraw or reduce
the amount of legal aid.
Where the decision to withdraw is based on a subsequent improvement in the in-

come of the legal aid recipient, the public treasury shall recover from the costs
incurred only the part subsequent to the date of such improvement.
Article 27. The decision to withdraw or reduce legal aid has no influence on the
course of the proceedings to which it relates or on the professional duties of legal
assistants.
Article 28. The beneficiary of legal aid which has been withdrawn shall pay the ex-
pert’s remuneration under the ordinary ordinary system of remuneration.
If, as a result of the revision, partial aid has been granted, payment shall be made
on the basis of the special remuneration arrangements referred to in Article 15 of
this Law.
Article 29. No legal assistant shall be entitled to receive from the total legal aid
recipient any sum or other as payment of remuneration and expenses covered by
legal aid.
It shall also be prohibited from receiving from the partial aid recipient amounts in
excess of the portion of its contribution to cover the remuneration and costs fixed
by the decision to grant the aid.
Article 30. The decision on legal aid shall lapse if the aid has not been used within
one year of the date of notification of the decision of the Office or if the action has
not been brought within the time limits.
CHAPTER FIFTH
Criminal provisions
Article 31. The applicant for legal aid who has deliberately refrained from disclos-
ing his actual annual income is punishable by a term of imprisonment ranging from
sixteen days to six months and a fine of from one hundred dinars to five hundred
dinars or one of these two penalties only,.
Any person who intentionally contributed to the concealment of the applicant’s in-
come in order to enable him to obtain the aid shall be liable to the same penalty,
without prejudice to the civil liability which he may incur with regard to the State.
Article 32. The provisions of the Decree of 13 August 1922 relative to the granting
of legal aid in civil matters, as amended on 6 March 1926, 13 December 1956, 13
March 1958 and 5 August 1959, shall be repealed.
This law shall be published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Tunisia and
executed as a law of the State.
Tunis, 3 June 2002.
Law n° 2007-27 dated 7 May 2007, amending and completing some provi-
sions of law n° 2002-52 dated 3 June 2002, on legal assistance.
In the name of the people,
The Chamber of Deputies and the Chamber of Advisors having adopted.
The President of the Republic promulgates the following law :
Single Article: A third paragraph is added to article one of law n°2002-52 dated 3
June 2002 on legal assistance :
Article one (third paragraph): The judicial aid may also be granted in the penal
cases subject of an appeal in cassation.
The law herein shall be published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Tunisia
and implemented as law of the state.
Tunis, 7 May 2007
Law no. 68/2009 promulgated on 12th August 2009, relating to establishing the
penalty of criminal compensation and developing alternatives to prison.
In the name of the people,
After approval by the House of Representatives and House of Councillors
The President of the Republic promulgates the following law:
Article 1- The provisions of paragraph 1 of Article 15 bis, the first and second para-
graphs of Article 15 ter, and the second paragraph of Article 18 of the Criminal Code
shall be repealed and replaced by the following provisions:
Article 15 bis paragraph 1 (new) - Where the court imposes a prison sentence of
a term not exceeding one year, it may replace it in the same judgment by an unpaid
general community service, and for a period not exceeding six hundred hours on
the basis of two hours for each day of prison.
Article 15 ter paragraph 1 (new) - To replace the term of imprisonment with com-
munity service, it is required that the defendant be present at the hearing, that he
is not recidivist and that he proves to the court, according to the circumstances of
the offense, the effectiveness of the sanction in order to preserve reintegration into
social life.
Article 15 ter (new) - The court must inform the defendant of his right to refuse
community service and record his answer.
Article 18 paragraph 2 (new) - A person sentenced to a community service shall

enjoy the same legal remedies for damages resulting from accidents at work and
occupational diseases applicable to prisoners for accidents caused by the occa-
sion of works for which they are asked to be executed.
Article 2 - Indent 6 is added to the provisions of the Penal Code in paragraph (A) of
Article 5 and Article 15 quater as follows:
- Article 5 (A), indent 6:
- The criminal compensation.

Article 15 quater - The criminal compensation of a criminal offense tends to re-
place the sentence of imprisonment pronounced by the court by a pecuniary reme-
dy to be paid by the sentenced person to a person who has suffered personal and
direct damage from the offense.
The amount of the compensation may not be less than twenty dinars nor more than
five thousand dinars notwithstanding the number of persons injured.
The criminal compensation does not preclude the exercise of the right of recourse
to civil remedies, and the court seised must take into account the amount of the
criminal compensation in assessing civil remedies.
In the case where it imposes a prison sentence for contraventions or a term of
imprisonment not exceeding six months for offenses, the court may, if the circum-
stances of the offense so require, replace the sentence in the same sentence of
imprisonment pronounced by a penalty of criminal compensation. It is required that
a criminal compensation be pronounced in the presence of the defendant, and that
the defendant has not previously been sentenced to a criminal compensation or
imprisonment.
The execution of the criminal compensation shall be effected within a period not
exceeding three months from the date of expiry of the time limit for appeal in the
first instance sentences or from the date of delivery of the final sentence.
It is prohibited to replace the term of imprisonment with a penalty of criminal com-

pensation for the offenses provided for in articles 85, 87, 87 bis, 90, 91, 101, 103,
104, 125, 126 paragraph 1, 127, 128, 228 bis, 238, 240 bis, 241, 243, 244, 284 of
the Penal Code and Articles 89 and 142 of the Penal Code, 90 of the Highway Code
and Articles 411 and 411 ter of the Commercial Code.
Article 3 - The following offense is added at the end of the subparagraph entitled
“offenses against persons” under Article 15 bis of the Criminal Code:
- Inflicting bodily harm to others unintentionally.
The following offenses are added at the end of the subparagraph entitled “offenses
against property”:
- the appropriation of a thing found by chance

- dispossession by force of a property belonging to others.
- damage to the property of others.
- involuntary fire.
Annexes
The following offense shall be added at the end of the subparagraph entitled “of-
fenses of prejudice of good morals”:
- Intentional harm to another in a way that violates modesty.

The following offenses are added at the end of the subparagraph entitled “social
offenses”:
- Calumny.
- Trouble after execution.
- False allegation.
- Mendicity.
The following offenses shall be added at the end of the subparagraph entitled “eco-
nomic and financial infringements”:
- Concealment of goods belonging to the debtor trader.

- Impossibility to pay after being served drinks or food.
- Refusal without legitimate reason to perform a contract.
- Obstructing the freedom of auction.
Article 4 - A subparagraph 10 is added to article 15 bis. of the Penal Code as fol-
lows:
- Military offenses:
 Failure to comply with the order to perform military service en-

shrined in paragraph 1 of Article 66 of the Code of Military Justice.
Article 5 - A second paragraph to Article 335 ter, Articles 336 ter, 350 bis. and a
last paragraph to Article 365 shall be added to the Code of Criminal Procedure as
follows:
Article 335 ter (2) - If the circumstances of the offense so require, the public pros-
ecutor alone can propose the conciliation by mediation for the offense stipulated
in Article 264 of the Criminal Code, provided that the defendant does not is not re-
cidivist, and that the prosecutor considers that the criminality is not ingrained in the
defendant based on a social investigation carried out by the social welfare services
on his moral, material and family situation.
Annexes
Article 336 ter - The representative of the public prosecutor shall supervise the
execution of the criminal compensation.
The time limit for the execution of the criminal compensation takes effect from the
date of expiry of the appeal period for the criminal judgment rendered in the first
instance or from the date of delivery of the final judgment.
Written evidence of the execution of the penalty or the recording of the amount of
the criminal compensation must be presented to the representative of the public
prosecutor ‘s office before the court which handed down the sentence imposing
the criminal compensation within the time limit provided for in Article 15 quater of
the Criminal Code.
In the absence of evidence of the execution of the criminal compensation within the
time limit provided for in article 15 quater of the Criminal Code, the prosecutor’s rep-
resentative shall proceed the execution of the prison sentence already pronounced.
If the convicted person is detained on the basis of an arrest warrant, the public
prosecutor shall inform the prison authorities of the order for the release of the de-
fendant if it is established that the judgment has not been appealed, and that the
provisions of the sentence of the criminal compensation have been executed within
the time prescribed by law.
Article 350 bis - The execution of the criminal compensation within the time-limit
laid down in Article 15 quater of the Criminal Code entails the extinguishment of the
prison sentence imposed by the court and, where appropriate, and the release of
the convicted person from custody.
Article 365 last paragraph - Judgments pronouncing a community service penalty

or a criminal compensation penalty shall not be recorded in bulletin 3 of the criminal
record.
Article 6 – “Articles 226 bis and 296 of the Criminal Code” shall be added to the
offenses referred to in Article 335 ter of the Code of Criminal Procedure in their
respective order.
Article 7 - The words “three hundred hours” referred to at the end of article 344
of the Code of Criminal Procedure are replaced by the words “six hundred hours”
and the words “six months” referred to in paragraph 1 of Article 346 of the Code of
Criminal Procedure, by the words “one year”.
This law shall be published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Tunisia and
executed as a law of the State.
Tunis, 12 August 2009.
Decree n° 2007-1812 dated 17 July 2007, regulating the special scheme of fix-
ing lawyers’ fees and experts’ charges assigned by decision to provide legal
assistance when these expenses are chargeable to the aid recipient.
The President of the Republic,
On a proposal from the Minister of Justice and Human Rights,
Having regard to of civil and commercial procedures code promulgated by law

n° 59-130 dated 5 October 1959, all amending and completing texts, notably law
n°2002-82 dated 3 August 2002 and law n° 2007-18 dated 22 March 2007,
Having regard to penal procedures code promulgated by law n° 68-23 dated 24

July 1968, all amending and completing texts notably law n° 2006-34 dated 12 June
2006 and law n° 2007-17 dated 22 March 2007,
Having regard to law n° 89-87 dated 7 September 1989, organizing the lawyer pro-
fession as amended and completed by law n° 2006-30 dated 15 May 2006,
Having regard to law n°93-61 dated 23 June 1993, relating to court experts,
Having regard to law n° 2002-52 dated 3 June 2002, on legal assistance grant as
amended and completed by law n° 2007-27 dated 7 May 2007, notably article 15,
Having regard to decree n° 70-572 dated 20 November 1970, fixing the list of ex-
penditures which may be paid in advance by the treasury as amended and complet-
ed by decree n° 83-180 dated 24 February 1983,
Having regard to decree n° 74-1062 dated 28 November 1974 fixing the duties of
the Ministry of Justice,
Having regard to decree n° 92-2120 dated 7 December 1992 fixing the expenses of
medical expertise tariff in criminal matters,
Having regard to the opinion of the Minister of Finance,
Having regard to the opinion of the Administrative Court.
Decrees the following :
Annexes
Article one - The decree herein shall determine the special scheme for lawyers fees
and experts charges assigned by decision, for legal assistance when the fees are
chargeable to the aid recipient.
CHAPTER ONE
Lawyers’ fees
Article 2 - The assigned lawyer for legal assistance may, once the trial is over pres-
ent a request to the tribunal president or his/her deputy who delivered the judgment
whereby he/she requires fixing the fees .
Article 3 - The following documents shall be enclosed with the request for fixing
the lawyer’s fees:
- a copy of the assignment decision,

- a copy of the presented conclusions during the trial,
- a copy of the delivered judgment of the trial he was assigned to,
- the memorandum of the elements of the required fees.
Article 4 - The tribunal president who delivered the judgment or his/her deputy
fixes, after the opinion of the president of the legal assistance office, the lawyer’s
charges. The following shall be taken into consideration in fixing the charges :
- the tribunal of the trial,

- the nature of the case,
- efforts exerted by the lawyer,
- the roll of lawyers to which the lawyer belongs.

CHAPTER TWO
Experts Charges
Article 5 - The court appointed expert for legal assistance may, after submitting the
expertise report to the tribunal which required it, ask for the fixing of his/her expert
charges by a request presented to the tribunal president or his deputy.
Article 6 - The following documents shall be enclosed with the charges fixing re-
quest:
- a copy of the assignment decision,

- a copy of the accomplished expertise report or reports,
Annexes
- a note from the tribunal confirming that the expert has carried out the mission
he /she was entrusted to,
- the memorandum of the elements of the required charges

Article 7 - The tribunal president who required the expertise or his deputy fixes, af-
ter the opinion of the president of the legal assistance office, the lawyer’s fees. The
following shall be taken into consideration while fixing the fees :
- the nature of the work carried out,
- the exerted efforts by the expert,
- the extent to which the assignment objectives were complied with,
- the extent to which the deadlines set for the expertise accomplish-
ment were complied with.
CHAPTER THREE
Final and Common provisions
Article 8 - The tribunal president or his/her deputy fixes the lawyers’ fees and ex-
perts charges by decision and put on the same request of the concerned person
within a 15-day deadline from the presentation of the demand date.
Article 9 - The fixing of the lawyer’s fees or expert charges decision is subject to
revision within an eight -day deadline after its receipt.
To apply for the revision , a reasoned claim shall be presented to the tribunal pres-
ident who delivered the judgment or his deputy and it shall be ruled on within an
eight day deadline.
Article 10 - Upon the expiry of the revision deadline or after it is ruled on, the tribu-
nal president or his deputy, taking into consideration the state contribution, orders
the concerned tax collector to pay the due amount as an advance cash and notifies
the concerned lawyer or expert.
Article 11 - The expenses of medical expertise tariff in criminal matters continue to

be governed by the provisions in force notably the abovementioned decree n° 92-
2120 dated 7 December 1992.
Article 12 - The Minister of Justice and Human Rights and the Minister of Finance,
Annexes
each in his respective capacity, shall implement the decree herein which shall be
published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Tunisia.
Tunis, 17 July 2007.
Annexes
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Penal Reform International

© Penal Reform International 2016

Penal Reform International (PRI) is an independent non-governmental

Legal Aid: Rights and Guarantees

Ms. Taghreed JABER

A. International Standards for Legal Aid:

guaranteed by international conventions, such as the right to prison regulations

B. Legal Aid Applications:

I. The Legal Aid Mechanism

3. Ways to Pay Lawyer’s Fees:

cerned tax collector to pay the due amount as an advance cash.

II. The Requisition Mechanism:

Article 69 of the Criminal Procedure Code requires that if the defendant is

2. Ways to Pay Requisition Fees:

civic associations that devote a considerable part of their activity to community

2. Free Legal Aid Mechanisms:

The purpose of non-custodial measures generally lies in finding effective alterna-

A. Non-custodial Measures in International Conventions

should not be used as evidence of admission of guilt in subsequent legal pro-

II. Trial and sentencing stage

• Referral to an attendance centre;

III. Post-sentencing stage

B. The Judicial Application of Non-custodial Measures

1. The Presence of the Lawyer at the Investigative Proceedings:

2. The Public Prosecutor and Mediation

247 226 bis. 225 220 218

280 277- 256 255 248

Law N° 22-1962 264 309 304 298

The lawyer’s role is of paramount importance in activating the conciliation by medi-

3. Conciliation by Mediation in the Juvenile Court:

4. Conciliation with Public Administrations:

A good example of non-custodial measures undertaken is when public ad-

II. Non-custodial Measures in the Court of Competent Jurisdiction:

paying to the treasury an amount determined by the judge in case of failing to

2. Community Service Orders (CSO):

The Lawyer’s Handbook on Legal Aid, Non-custodial Measures and Probation

Trouble after exe- dispossession by force appropriation of a mov- Inflicting bodily

uttering slogans defamation against involuntary fire Mendicity

committing de- The harassment of prejudice of good mor- damage to the

3. The Criminal Compensation Sanction:

The Lawyer’s Handbook on Legal Aid, Non-custodial

128 127 126/1 125

A Sample of a certificate of conviction ordering a criminal

To replace six months (or less) of imprisonment for ........................................…..

by a criminal compensation of 5 thousand dinars (or less, based on the serious-

A. The Inception of the Probation Office:

I. The stage of establishing a pilot project:

II. Stage of Exercise and Judicial Application of Probation:

1. The Outset of the Probation Office

Organizational Chart of the Probation Office

THE SENTENCE ENFORCEMENT JUDGE

The Regional Branch of the National Bar Association is deeply convinced

imprisonment which certainly generates recidivism after abrupt release to the

2. The Judicial Applications of the Probation Office:

> Defendants Subject to Community Service Order:

> Defendants Subject to Parole:

> Follow-up Measures for the Juvenile

The Scope of intervention of Probation Office

B. Challenges and Opportunities: