Iran judge issues book reading sentences
A judge in northeast Iran has initiated a move to replace light prison sentences with an order for the defendant to purchase books to read by the time of court session.
Iran’s official IRNA news agency said Saturday that Qassem Naqi-Zadeh, a senior judge presiding over criminal cases in the city of Gonbad, hands down “book reading” sentences in case which do not involve a private plaintiff.
Naqi-Zadeh said the ruling can be applied to those who have committed infractions, misdemeanor and minor felonies, especially in cases which involve juvenile delinquency.
According to the ruling, those detainees who are waiting trial are instructed to buy five books, read them and present an excerpt to the court officials.
This has been the first time an Iranian judge is using such alternative punishment. The Iranian judiciary system allows for alternative sentences to help reduce the population of prisons.
Head of the local judiciary department said the judge will be rewarded for his innovative approach. Hadi Hashemian said the Islamic Panel Code and the new judicial procedure have good solutions for replacing prison sentences with other punishments.
The International Center for Prison Studies (ICPS) says more than 225,000 inmates are currently held on criminal charges in Iran's prisons, with about 25 percent pending trial. Iranian officials have repeatedly called for a reform in judicial laws to enable judges to use alternative punishments.
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