Okaz/Saudi Gazette

MAKKAH — The Directorate of Prisons announced that all prisoners would have to wear a blue uniform — the dress code in jail.

Makkah Directorate of Prisons reported that the prisoners incarcerated for financial crimes had requested to be excluded from the new regulation, claiming that they should not be clubbed on the same level of prisoners who committed felonies. They claimed they have committed financial crimes and they do not get escorted in and out of prisons with cuffs on their wrists and shackles on their feet.

The directorate agreed to exclude them from attending court in the uniform, allowing them to show up in regular clothes. However, they said that the prisoners are still required to adhere to the uniform inside the prisons.

Lawyer Sultan Al-Harthy said issuing and mandating a uniform to prisoners has a lot of managerial advantages.

“It is easier to differentiate between detainees and inmates that way and to differentiate between private rights inmates and penal crimes inmates. Uniforms will also make things more organized. The uniform will also make the prisoners recognizable should they escape,” said Al-Harthy.