Moroccan Parliament Approves Alternative Punishments Law.

Morocco's Chamber of Representatives approved on Tuesday the law outlining alternative punishments.

The decision took place during a legislative session dedicated to discussions about the law as well as the management of Morocco's corrective institutions.

The law puts in place guidelines for issuing alternative punishments for crimes that are punishable by five years or less in prison.

The law aims to establish more humane punishments for some of the lesser crimes, as well as reducing the burden on Morocco's prisons, which have had a long-standing problem of overcrowding and lack of resources.

The bill has been heavily backed by Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi, who advocated for alternative punishments such as monetary fines.

'For adults, we proposed that if a crime is sentenced with less than two years, [the convict] can pay its price to the state instead of serving the sentence,' he said earlier this year.

He specified the fine could range between...