Imprisonment sentences shall be served in prisons, and any person against whom the competent authorities issue a detention order shall be placed in a detention center, in accordance with the provisions of this Law and its Implementing Regulations and without prejudice to provisions relating to juveniles.

Prisons and detention centers for men and for women shall be established pursuant to a decision by the Minister of Interior, taking into consideration the needs of administrative areas in the Kingdom. The Implementing Regulations shall set the rules relating to the management, recordkeeping, and security of prisons and detention centers as well as health and safety measures therein.

A general directorate for prisons affiliated with the Ministry of Interior shall, subject to the Implementing Regulations, supervise the execution of sentences and detention orders and exercise its powers in the provinces of the Kingdom.

A. The Minister of Interior may issue an order to imprison or detain foreigners in special places or designated sections in prisons and detention centers.

B. The Head of the Presidency of State Security may, in crimes undermining national security, authorize the following:

• 1. The execution of imprisonment sentences and detention orders by a special department where civil and military officials exercise their powers in accordance with controls issued by the Head of the Presidency of State Security and the provisions of this Law absent a specific provision in such controls.

• 2. The issuance of a statement including the name, particulars, and information of the prisoner or detainee if the matter draws significant public attention or is raised in a manner contrary to the facts, and such statement serves to achieve public or private interest. The controls referred to in paragraph (1) shall specify the provisions governing such statement

Prisons and detention centers shall be subject to judicial, administrative, health, and social inspection, in accordance with the Implementing Regulations.

The Minister of Interior shall establish a supreme council tasked with conducting special studies for the development of prisons and detention centers to achieve their objectives and enhance their capability to rehabilitate convicts; such council shall also provide recommendations on combating delinquency and recidivism and on ways to serve the public interest in this regard.

The Minister of Interior shall select the members of said council from persons of relevant expertise

No person may be admitted to a prison or detention center or transferred or released therefrom, except pursuant to a written order issued by the competent authority. A prisoner or detainee may not be held in a prison or detention center beyond the period specified in his sentence or detention order.

The Implementing Regulations shall specify the procedures for admitting prisoners and detainees and for documenting their admission, transfer, and release in registers prepared for such purpose.

Each prisoner or detainee must be searched upon admission to the prison or detention center; any money or valuable items in his possession shall be taken from him and stored in the prison or detention center to be returned to him upon his release or collected by any person he designates, unless the order of imprisonment or detention specifies otherwise.

Any item a prisoner or detainee conceals or refuses to surrender or any item smuggled thereto shall be confiscated.

The Implementing Regulations shall set rules for classifying prisoners based on the type, frequency, and gravity of crimes as well as the terms of the sentences, in accordance with the principles of rehabilitation.