Decongesting jails
PRESIDENT Marcos’ order to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release more persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) qualified for parole should be welcomed by the public.
The Chief Executive from Ilocos Norte, the only son and namesake of the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos, issued the call as part of efforts to ease congestion in jails.
Various quarters, particularly families of PDLs, agree that there’s certainly that urgent need to decongest the country’s overcrowded jails and other detention facilities.
And the good news is that the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), headed by Jail Director Allan Iral, is fully supporting the Chief Executive’s order.
In fact, the BJMP, which is under the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), has been utilizing all legal means to decongest the country’s jails.
BJMP was created on Jan. 2, 1991 through Republic Act (RA) 6875 as a line bureau under the powerful Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
A s one of the five pillars of the criminal justice system, the bureau addresses the growing concern of jail management and penology problems in the country.
“The BJMP is utilizing all legal means to decongest our jails and we are all grateful that President Marcos is supporting these efforts,” Director Iral said on Wednesday.
BJMP records show that a total of 77,960 PDLs were released through paralegal services in 2022.
In the view of various quarters, it is time to decongest our jails since many PDLs are languishing in jail because they could not afford the services of very good lawyers.
