By Brian Jules CampuedThe congestion rate among jails in the Philippines went down by 348% from January to October 2023 compared to the 367% record in 2022, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) reported.
This decline is attributed to the continuous implementation of paralegal programs nationwide, the Department of the Interior and Local Government said in a statement released by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) on Friday, Jan. 12.
The BJMP data showed that it has granted time allowances through the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) to 77,467 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), while some 18,865 inmates had qualified for the Time Allowance for Study, Teaching, and Mentoring (TASTM).
The GCTA reduces the possible maximum imprisonment based on the length of incarceration by 20 to 30 days per month.
On the other hand, TASTM offers an additional 15 days deduction to qualified inmates engaging in 60 hours of study, teaching, and mentoring services monthly.
Paralegal services of the BJMP also included the Special Time Allowance for Loyalty (STAL), given to PDLs who “chose to stay in confinement even if they had the opportunity to escape during calamities.”
The deductions for the STAL is one-fifth or two-fifths based on the PDLs’ choices during such events.
Meanwhile, 70.44% or 305 out of the 433 occupied jails in the country were certified as drug-free and drug-cleared by the Regional Oversight Committee in Declaring Drug-Free and Drug-Cleared BJMP Jails composed of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and BJMP.
This was through the Greyhound Operations of the BJMP and the joint anti-illegal drug efforts of its manned jails, the Philippine National Police (PNP), PDEA, and other law enforcement agencies.
The BJMP added that its partnerships with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), non government organizations (NGOs), and private institutions has provided various livelihood and vocational skills training to the PDLs.
Access to education from elementary up to tertiary level was also granted through its College Behind Bars Program. – cf
