Need for modern jails
VARIOUS quarters, including ordinary citizens throughout the Philippines, concede that in some instances, jail overcrowding triggers prison break-out and rioting.
Thus, it is certainly heartening to know that House Deputy Speaker Neptali Gonzales II of Mandaluyong City has called for the establishment of more modern jails in the country.
This is to prevent prison congestion and stop the spread of highly-communicable illnesses, such as the dreaded coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
In these trying times, the public is hoping that members of Congress take note of the needs of people deprived of liberty (PDLs).
These PDLs deserve humane and safe facilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed the lives of so many people across the globe, including the Philippines.
Last July 27, Deputy Speaker Gonzales said the government inaugurated a fully-automated, modern and state-of-the-art eight-storey jail in Mandaluyong City.
The P515-million city jail has an energy-efficient design, a “sunning area” on the roof deck, a basketball court, and a state-of-the-art kitchen and laundry facilities.
The jail was constructed under the national government’s ambitious “Build, Build, Build” program.
We share the view of the highly-articulate solon that the construction of more modern detention facilities will solve the perennial problem of prison congestion in the country.
It’s a move in the right direction.
