Action Plan of the General Delegation for Prison and Reintegration Administration to Address Corona Virus Pandemic the Outcome U

KINGDOM OF MOROCCO Head of Government General Commission for Prison and Reintegration Administration Action Plan of the General Delegation for Prison and Reintegration Administration to address Corona Virus pandemic The outcome up to May 15, 2020 The procedures rolled out up to the end of August 2020 1 Table of content Royal patronage Introduction: The first axis: the outcome of the measures and actions taken to face the danger of the outbreak of the Corona virus, which occurred in prison facilities up to 15 May 2020 First: Organizational Procedures Second: comprehensive mobilization of staff Third: Strengthening security measures and provisions Fourth: Enhancing hygiene and health protection: Fifth: Prison rehabilitation programs: Sixth: Procedures for remote virtual litigation and mitigating the prison population Seventh: Measures taken by some prison facilities having confirmed Covid - 19 cases among inmates Eighth: Mobilization of material resource and capabilities: Ninth: Communication Tenth: Comparative Study The second axis: procedures to face the danger of the outbreak of Corona virus in prison facilities by the end of August 2020 First: Staff-related procedures Second: Inmate-related procedures Third: Gradual return of some activities in some sectors and with some partners Fourth: Supporting logistic means Conclusion Appendix 2 Royal patronage As part of the royal patronage that His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God Assist him and glorify Him, has always bestowed upon detained citizens, His Majesty gave His directives in order to give full care and attention to immunizing the prison population from the risk of the spread of the pandemic. On April 04, 2020, His Majesty the King, may God protect Him, granted his royal pardon to 5654 inmates, including vulnerable groups, i.e. the elderly, the sick, pregnant women, mothers with babies, juveniles as well as prisoners who participated in reintegration programs and demonstrated good behavior. All relevant parties, including the General Delegation of Prison and Reintegration Administration, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health and the Presidency of Public Prosecution, worked jointly to promptly implement the procedures through local committees formed to that effect, to protect prisoners benefiting from the pardon and to accompany the release process in conditions consistent with the precautionary measures associated with protecting against the spread of the Covid - 19 pandemic and adherence to the quarantine measures imposed nationally . These inmates were subjected to medical monitoring and the sick among them had access to medications and were provided medical documents so as to pursue treatment. They were also sensitized about the stage that requires adherence to quarantine, as they signed an obligation to self- quarantine and stay at home. Along the same lines, coordination has been made with the relevant local and security authorities to assist the released prisoners to reach their final destinations in conditions that take into account health and safety requirements and to ensure that they do not gather in public places. 3 Introduction: Under the royal patronage that His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, has always bestowed upon His citizens in prisons, and in accordance with the directives of His Majesty in monitoring and managing the new Corona virus in our country, and in line with government measures and procedures approved by the Kingdom to address the risk of the spread of this pandemic, the General Delegation of Prison and Reintegration Administration (DGAPR) to take precautionary measures and provisions to guarantee security and safety of inmates in prison facilities. Prison facilities in these exceptional circumstances are getting special attention at the national and international levels as closed spaces housing a large number of prisoners of various categories, especially in view of overcrowding in prison facilities as a result of limited housing capacity, which makes it all the more difficult to implement the measures of social distancing. While some consider the fact that prison facilities are a closed space constitutes a positive factor and an aid in controlling the non-transmission of pandemic infection to the prison environment, this very fact may turn out to be a source of fragility, as one single case in the prison facility can trigger fast pandemic spread among the prisoners who are housed in collective housing units and among staff because of daily and direct contact. Upon the issuance by the Ministry of Health of the memorandum dated January 1, 2020 as part of the preparedness process of Morocco to counter Corona virus, DGPAR set out to implement the provisions of the Central Vigilance Committee in order to develop integrated and multi-dimensional plans to confront this pandemic, In partnership with the health and local authorities, in line with the measures taken by the relevant authorities at the national level in light of international recommendations and directives of the World Health Organization, and in line with the principles and values of human rights and the preservation of the dignity of prisoners. These plans, characterized by progression and keeping pace with the developments of the pandemic, have included several aspects, including organizational, security-related, health- 4 related, rehabilitation- related, psychological, human, and logistical considerations, based on a number of basic principles in proactive management of crises and addressing them with a view to emerging from them with the lowest possible losses. These cover the following: • Swift and effective response to the requirements of this delicate stage; • Integrated approach in adopting measures and procedures in all prisons throughout the Kingdom; • Gradual adoption of precautionary measures and procedures to maintain security and safety in prisons; • Transparent communication with the national public opinion. In the first axis, this report takes stock of the outcome of the efforts made, measures and actions taken at all levels by DGAPR since the beginning of February 2020 and before the discovery of the first confirmed case of infection with the Corona virus in the Kingdom and highlights the pioneering and unprecedented steps that were adopted by DGAPR in order to ensure maximum security and safety in prisons. The report also showcases, in its second axis, the outlines of the future plan that DGAPR will endeavor to adopt for the optimal management of the next stage extending to the month of August of this year. 5 The first axis: the outcome of the measures and actions taken to face the danger of the outbreak of the Corona virus, which occurred in prison facilities up to 15 May 2020 Preamble: The first axis of this report focuses on a review of the various precautionary measures and provisions adopted by DGAPR at all levels, human, health-related, security- related, rehabilitation- related, material and communication- related, in order to address the Corona pandemic in prison facilities and protect them as much as possible in order to preserve the security and safety of prisoners, staff and citizens. First: Organizational Procedures Setting up the central vigilance committee Following the beginning of the new Corona virus outbreak in different countries and keeping up with the directions and preventive governmental measures taken to confront this pandemic, a central vigilance committee was created on February 11, 2020 under the supervision of the Delegate General and includes the Secretary General and all the central directors to undertake the following tasks: - Field monitoring of prison facilities and ongoing communication with regional directors and prison wardens in order to keep abreast of developments of the health and security situation and take immediate appropriate measures in accordance with the developments of the epidemiological situation in Morocco; - Studying the necessary measures to be taken at any potential emergency during each stage and implementing them within prison facilities in order to protect the inmates, staff and citizens so as to protect them from the threat of the new corona virus; 6 - Supporting prison facilities registering cases of Covid - 19 and following the implementation of the measures taken to contain its spread and mobilizing all means to ensure the security and safety of inmates, staff and citizens; - Holding regular meetings with officials of the central and regional authorities since March 12, 2020 with the regional directors on the precautionary measures that must be taken and the necessity of mobilizing human resources and material and logistical capabilities to confront the risk of the virus transmitting to prison facilities; - Ongoing assessment of the measures and provisions taken to tackle the Corona pandemic. - Sensitizing the public continuously about the developments in the healthcare situation inside the prison facilities, with regard to corona virus. - A committee has also been formed in each prison facility under the supervision of the warden of the facility to monitor the extent of the commitment of staff and inmates to the approved preventive measures and provisions and to draft reports to take strict measures against each violator of these measures. Enhancing coordination and cooperation with other partners: - Entrusting regional directors to contact and coordinate with the local territorial administration and the Ministry of Health in order to form joint local

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