Further training on “Alternative punishments and alternatives to pre-trial detention”

EU criminal law experts Pascal Décarpes in conversation with participants in the training session on alternative punishments and alternatives to pre-trial detention.
EU criminal law experts Pascal Décarpes in conversation with participants in the training session on alternative punishments and alternatives to pre-trial detention.
Tunisia

Discussions on “Criminal law policy” was the focus of a further training course, which was organised by the IRZ on 29-30 May 2023 on “Alternative punishments and alternatives to pre-trial detention” as part of a project funded by the Federal Foreign Office to modernise the judiciary in Tunisia. The aim of the event was to promote the exchange of Tunisian, German and European experiences, models and perspectives in the area of preventive crime policy.

Mr. Ulrich Bremer, Senior Public Prosecutor and press spokesman for the Cologne Public Prosecutor's Office, and Mr. Pascal Décarpes, EU criminal law expert in preventive criminal policy, took part as experts. While Mr. Bremer primarily shared his knowledge of the German criminal system and the system of penalties to the participants, Mr. Décarpes contributed to the success of the event with his lectures on crime prevention.

The following topics were explored at the seminar, and provoked some lively discussions:

  • Preventative crime policy
  • Suspension of prison sentences
  • Organisation of probation services in Germany and Europe
  • Crime policy and the system of penalties in Germany and Tunisia
  • Pre-trial detention and possible alternatives
  • Alternatives to prison sentences and deferred sentences
  • Potential and risks associated with electronic ankle bracelets

The massive prison overcrowding has resulted in a great need in Tunisia to find possible alternatives to traditional prison sentences and for crime prevention. The event directly addresses this need by aiming to raise awareness of alternative punishments and the importance of preventive crime policies. The focus is on the necessary knowledge transfer for the effective implementation of alternative punishments.

4th advisory seminar on the reintroduction of a specialist degree in legislation

Participants in the final seminar on the development of a new degree in legislation held in Tunis on 31 May to 1 June 2023.
Participants in the final seminar on the development of a new degree in legislation held in Tunis on 31 May to 1 June 2023.
Tunisia

A new course is intended to train specialist personnel to help improve the quality of the law and thus modernise the judiciary in Tunisia.

The IRZ is advising the law faculty at El Manar University in Tunis on how to develop a new course in legislation as part of a project financed by the Federal Foreign Office to modernise the judiciary in Tunisia in the areas of criminal law and legislation technique. The fourth and final advisory seminar on the reintroduction of the course took place in Tunis from 31 May to 1 June 2023. Meetings in November and December 2022 and February 2023 had taken place prior to this final event.

Prof. Dr. Hans Hofmann, Humboldt University of Berlin and Prof. Dr. Klaus Messerschmidt, Friedrich-Alexander University in Erlangen-Nuremberg, attended the final seminar as the German experts. Mr. Kheireddine Ben Sultan, former head of the legislative department of the Tunisian government, spoke as a Tunisian expert.

Around 30 lecturers from various universities in Tunis took part in the series of events. The structure and methodology of the new course were developed by the Tunisian project partners alongside the advisory seminars.  The curriculum has now been finalised so that the new course at El Manar University in Tunis can start immediately. The lecturers who will teach the course have already been selected. The course will also be incorporated into the Virtual University in Tunis (l'Université Virtuelle de Tunis), which was set up as a distance learning university by the Ministry of Education several years ago, to enable those working in this area to receive further training in the field of legislation.

First meetings of the working groups supporting the modernisation of the judiciary

Participants of the working group meeting in Tunis.
Participants of the working group meeting in Tunis.
Tunisia

Four working groups were set up to explore the subject areas within the scope of an IRZ project funded by the Federal Foreign Office to support the modernisation of the judiciary in Tunisia in ​​criminal law and legislation technique. The first meeting of the Steering Committee of the working groups and the first working group meetings took place in Tunis on 8-9 May 2023.

The Steering Committee will assume a consulting role to assist the development of the guidelines in the various working groups and coordinate the work processes.

The project was launched in 2022 and is being implemented with various stakeholders from Tunisian civil society.

The four working groups will, among others, develop guidelines, manuals or recommendations on the following main topics of the project:

  • Development of a preventive criminal law policy
  • Increased efficiency in criminal proceedings
  • Codification and standardisation of draft legislation
  • Conformity and harmonisation of draft laws with international agreements / examination of draft laws

The aim of the first meeting was to jointly determine the respective focal points and detailed subject areas in the working groups and a timetable and organisational schedule for the creation of the guidelines and manuals.

Members of the working groups were lecturers from the law faculty of the University of El Manar and lawyers and judges.

Mr. Pascal Décarpes, EU expert in criminal law, took part as an IRZ expert.

The Tunisian team was highly committed and engaged in the discussions and in reforms in ​​criminal law and legislation technique. Additional working group meetings will take place in the following weeks and months to develop the guidelines and manuals or recommendations by the end of 2023.