Morocco and Western Sahara

Capital city — Rabat

Country population
36,910,056
i
2020
/ World Bank
Incarceration rate (per 100,000 inhabit…
232
i
12/2020
/ World Prison Brief, ICPR
Type of government
Constitutional Monarchy
Human Development Index
0.686
(121/189)
i
2019
/ UNDP, Human Development Report 2020
Homicide rate (per 100,000 inhabitants)
1.72
i
2019
/ UNODC, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Name of authority in charge of the pris…
the Prime Minister
Total number of prisoners
84,990
i
12/2020
/ World Prison Brief, ICPR
Average length of imprisonment (in mont…
9.72
i
2020
/ DGAPR
Prison density
160 %
The prison occupa…
i
09/08/2022
/ Telquel
Total number of prison facilities
77
i
31/12/2019
/ The Moroccan Observatory of Prisons
An NPM has been established
yes, in 2018
Female prisoners
2.5 %
i
2020
/ World Prison Brief, ICPR
Incarcerated minors
1.3 %
Including 27 girl…
i
31/12/2019
/ The Moroccan Observatory of Prisons
Untried prisoners
46 %
i
31/12/2020
/ World Prison Brief, ICPR
Death penalty is abolished
no, but suspended in practice
The death penalty…

Contributor(s)Observatoire marocain des prisons (OMP) / independent experts

Moroccan Code of Criminal Procedure (in French)
Kingdom of Morocco Penal Code (consolated 15 septembre 2011)
Moroccan Constitution, enacted 29 July 2011 (in French)
Law n° 23-98, 25 August 1999, relating to the organisation and operation of prisons (Penal Law) (in French)
Law n°1-18-17, 22 February 2018, relating to the reorganisation of the National Human Rights Council (in French)

Amnesty International, “Morocco: Shadow of Impunity - Torture in Morocco and Western Sahara”, 2015.  
Amnesty International, Morocco and Western Sahara 2019, 2020.     
UN Human Rights Council, “UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention – Moroccan mission”, 2014.  (in French)
UN Human Rights Council, “September 2012 visit report”, 2013.    (in French)
General Delegation for Prison Administration and Rehabilitation, 2018 report, 2019 (in Arabic). 
General Delegation for Prison Administration and Rehabilitation, “2018 Activity Report”, 2019 (in Arabic).  
General Delegation for Prison Administration and Rehabilitation, “Moroccan penitentiary framework, DGAPR 2016-2020 strategy”, 2019.
International Human Rights Federation report (FIDH), “Morocco - Moroccan judicial reforms: time for conclusions and effective implementation”, 2012. (in French)
Moroccan Observatory of Prisons, Press release relating to the annual report of Moroccan prisons and prisoners- 2018, 2019 (in French)