Article 26 of the Saudi Prisons and Detention Law
المادة 26 من نظام السجن والتوقيف
The period a detainee spends in a detention facility is deducted from the sentence imposed on him.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تخصم المدة التي يقضيها الموقوف في دار التوقيف من المدة المحكوم بها عليه.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 26 explained in plain English
This article establishes a clear and important rule for anyone who was detained and then sentenced: the period a detainee spends in a detention facility is deducted from the sentence imposed on him.
In practical terms this means:
- The days a person spent detained in a detention facility are not lost to him.
- If a prison sentence is then imposed on him, the period of detention is deducted from the sentence imposed, and he serves only the remainder.
- According to the text, the deduction is mandatory ("is deducted"), not left to discretion.
The article does not address what happens if the period of detention is longer than the sentence imposed, or if no prison sentence is imposed at all; these are cases the text does not deal with.
The article comes after Article (25), which allows the Minister of Interior to grant conditional release to someone who has served three quarters of the sentence, under its conditions, and before Article (27), which sets the cases in which prison guards may use their firearms. To calculate the period in a particular case you can consult a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases.
Practical example
Hamad was held in a detention facility in Riyadh for four months until a sentence of one year in prison was imposed on him. Under this article the four months are deducted from the one-year term, leaving him only eight months.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 26 of the Saudi Prisons and Detention Law
Is time in detention counted toward the prison sentence?
Yes. The period a detainee spends in a detention facility is deducted from the sentence imposed on him.
Is deducting detention time from the sentence mandatory?
The text is worded as mandatory: the period a detainee spends in a detention facility is deducted from the sentence imposed on him.
More articles on Admission to Prison and Release
- Article 7
No one may be placed in prison or detention, transferred or released except by a written order from the competent authority, and no prisoner or detainee may stay after the period stated in his commitment order ends.
لا يجوز إيداع أي إنسان في سجن أو في دار للتوقيف أو نقله أو إخلاء سبيله إلا بأمر كتابي صادر من السلطة المختصة، ولا يجوز أن يبقى المسجون أو الموقوف في السجن أو دو
- Article 8
Every prisoner or detainee must be searched before entry, and his money and valuables must be placed in the safe to be handed to him upon release or to the person he designates.
يجب أن يفتش كل مسجون أو موقوف قبل دخوله السجن أو دار التوقيف وأن يؤخذ ما يوجد معه من نقود أو أشياء ذات قيمة وتودع خزانة السجن أو دار التوقيف لتسليمها إليه عند ا
- Article 9
What a prisoner or detainee hides or refuses to hand over, and what someone else tries to secretly get to him in prison, is confiscated.
يصادر ما يخفيه المسجون أو الموقوف أو يمتنع عن تسليمه، أو يحاول غيره خفية توصيله إليه في السجن.
- Article 11
A convict whose stay in prison exceeds four years must go through a transition period before release, counted as part of the sentence, to make it easier to integrate him into society.
إذا زادت مدة بقاء المحكوم عليه في السجن عن أربع سنين، وجب قبل الإفراج عنه أن يمر بفترة انتقال تهدف إلى تيسير إدماجه في المجتمع بعد الإفراج عنه وتحتسب هذه الفترة
- Article 21
An administrative procedure may not delay the release of a prisoner or detainee beyond the set time.
لا يجوز أن يؤخر الإجراء الإداري الإفراج عن المسجون أو الموقوف في الوقت المحدد.
- Article 24
A prisoner or detainee is released before noon on the day after his sentence or period of detention ends, unless a general pardon provides otherwise, in which case he is released at the time set by the pardon decision.
يفرج عن المسجون أو الموقوف قبل ظهر اليوم التالي لانقضاء العقوبة أو مدة الإيقاف، وذلك ما لم يصدر عفو عام عن الجريمة أو العقوبة أو جزء منها فيتم الإفراج عن المسجو
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.