Since 2001 the DGPR has come under the Ministry of Justice. Prior to that it was part of the Ministry of the Interior.

Tunisia is a centralised state. All prisons are run by the central authorities.

There are 27 prisons and 7 rehabilitation centres for young offenders.

Prison law divides prisons into three classes:

• detention centres for those awaiting trial
• prisons for those convicted and sentenced
• semi-open prisons for less serious criminals authorised to do agricultural work.

There are 19 “detention centres” with a locked-door regime. In practice they contain both remanded and convicted prisoners. There are eight “prisons” with regimes varying from isolation for reasons of security to semi-open for long-term offenders reaching the end of their terms.

The seven rehabilitation centres for young offenders have a more open regime.

All institutions are run entirely by the public sector. ¹