Yamsuan

Yamsuan hopeful results of Jail Decongestion Summit to lead to long-term reforms in correctional system

December 11, 2023 Ryan Ponce Pacpaco 238 views

BICOL Saro Partylist Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan is optimistic that the actionable recommendations agreed upon at the recently concluded Jail Decongestion Summit would lead to sweeping reforms that would substantially improve the living conditions and well-being of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) detained in the country’s overcrowded prison and jail facilities.

As a staunch advocate of prison reform, Yamsuan also expressed the hope that the proposals put forth in the Summit would eventually lead to the congressional passage of his measure that aims to unify the country’s fragmented correctional system under a single agency.

The whole-of-government approach that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said is necessary to “ensure the efficient, effective, and compassionate administration of justice in the country,” would require streamlining the operations and allocation of resources in jail facilities, which could only be achieved by housing the different agencies handling penal management into a Department of Corrections, Yamsuan noted.

Under Yamsuan’s proposed legislation–House Bill (HB) 8672–a Department of Corrections and Jail Management (DCJM) shall be created to supervise over the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), which is currently under the Department of Justice (DOJ); the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) of the Department of the Interior and Local Government ( DILG); the correctional and jail services of the provincial governments; the Board of Pardons and Parole (BPP); and the Parole and Probation Administration (PPA).

The proposed DCJM also includes a Bureau of Rehabilitation Services, which shall focus on the implementation of reformation and reintegration programs for PDLs.

“Our collective goal should not be focused on merely jailing and punishing PDLs, but to rehabilitate them and provide them support in landing job and livelihood opportunities so that they can return to the mainstream of society as productive individuals,” said Yamsuan, a former DILG Assistant Secretary.

During the Summit, Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo pointed out that a corresponding expansion of jail facilities is needed as the country’s population increases, more laws are passed, and law enforcement becomes more efficient, which then leads to more convictions and quick dispensation of justice.

“Expanding jail facilities to prevent congestion and improve the welfare of PDLs is a very good solution. However, if the expansion would continue without integrating the operations of the different agencies under a single department, this would only worsen their existing poor coordination and poor allocation of resources for our PDLs,” Yamsuan said.

Yamsuan also commended the Department of Justice (DOJ) under its Secretary, Jesus Crispin Remulla, for issuing directives that aim to tighten cooperation between law enforcement officers and prosecutors, not only to secure airtight convictions in criminal prosecutions but also to weed out harassment cases that only lead to congested jails.

“These are proactive measures that will help depopulate our crowded jails. But we should anticipate the problem of worsening jail congestion over the long term by institutionalizing the integration of our jail management system now, instead of later,” Yamsuan said.

Yamsuan said he was glad to learn that Speaker Martin Romualdez is considering HB 8672 as among the proposals that will be studied by the House of Representatives to address jail congestion.

The Bicol Saro lawmaker also backed Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri’s strategies on decongestion, including the proposal to ensure that PDLs are incarcerated in their home regions, making them more accessible for visits from their families.

“We are confident that the conditions of PDLs inside jails and the rehabilitation programs for them will improve with all three branches of government working together to address the longstanding complex, yet actionable problem of jail congestion,” Yamsuan said.

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