Article 8 of the Saudi Prisons and Detention Law
المادة 8 من نظام السجن والتوقيف
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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
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 الإفراج عنه أو تسلم لمن يعينه السجين.
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 8 explained in plain English
This article regulates what happens to a person's belongings when he enters a prison or detention facility:
- Searching is mandatory: every prisoner or detainee must be searched before entering the prison or detention facility, with no exception in the text.
- Taking money and valuables: whatever money or items of value he has with him are taken.
- Depositing them in the safe: these items are placed in the safe of the prison or detention facility, so they are kept, not confiscated.
- Returning them: they are handed to him upon his release, or handed to the person the prisoner designates.
This shows that taking money and valuables on entry is for safekeeping, that their owner remains their owner, and that he may choose a person to receive them in his place.
This differs from the rule in Article (9), which provides for the confiscation of what a prisoner or detainee hides or refuses to hand over, or what someone else tries to secretly get to him in prison. Handing items over at the search keeps them for their owner, whereas hiding them or refusing to hand them over exposes them to confiscation.
The article comes after Article (7), which requires a written order from the competent authority for commitment, transfer and release.
Practical example
Fahd was committed to a detention facility in Riyadh with a sum of cash and a valuable watch on him. He was searched before entering, and the cash and the watch were placed in the facility's safe. Fahd asked that they be handed to his brother, and they may be handed to his brother because he is the person Fahd designated.
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 8 of the Saudi Prisons and Detention Law
Is a detainee searched when entering a detention facility?
Yes. Every prisoner or detainee must be searched before entering the prison or detention facility.
What happens to a prisoner's money and valuables?
They are taken and placed in the safe of the prison or detention facility, to be handed to him upon release or to the person he designates.
Can a prisoner's relative receive his belongings?
The article allows them to be handed to the person the prisoner designates.
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 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
- Article 26
The period a detainee spends in a detention facility is deducted from the sentence imposed on him.
تخصم المدة التي يقضيها الموقوف في دار التوقيف من المدة المحكوم بها عليه.
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.