Criminals and politicians

Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo revealed plans to initiate a national summit of the Judiciary and the Executive Branches of the government to try solving the congestion problem in many local jails all around the country. Gesmundo disclosed about such plans after he visited and saw personally the situation at the Pasay City Jail on Oct. 29.

The Chief Justice’s jail visit obviously sought to highlight the importance of knowing the actual condition of inmates cramped inside these detention facilities. All detainees in city or municipal jails are called “people under police custody” (PUPC). As the politically correct term being used by the Philippine National Police (PNP), the PUPCs are those still undergoing trial for their criminal cases.

The SC announced the planned summit would be in coordination with the Justice Sector Coordinating Council (JSCC). Aside from the SC, the JSCC is composed of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). Offhand, the SC wants the JSCC to hold the summit primarily “to identify the root causes of prolonged detention in jails, which contribute to prison overcrowding.”

The Chief Justice believes the holding of the summit will help the government formulate policies that will enhance jail management and ensure the human safekeeping of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs). The Philippine government adopted the United Nations term PDLs since 2015 based from the Nelson Mandela Rules to describe people who were incarcerated and deprived of their freedom after conviction and final ruling of the court.

It was named after the late popular South African President Nelson Mandela who got incarcerated as the leader of the movement that fought against the apartheid policy, or racial segregation once enforced in their country.

According to Gesmundo, the SC is spearheading many initiatives meant to benefit PDLs, including recommending lower bail amounts for indigent accused individuals and expediting the release of qualified prisoners. As the head of the highest court of the land, Gesmundo reiterated his standing directives to all trial and lower courts to prioritize the disposition