Lack of money for bail is top reason for jail decongestion

THE Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday said the lack of money among inmates to pay for their bail bonds is the main reason for the decongestion in the country’s prison facilities, especially those operated by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).

DOJ spokesperson Jose Dominic Clavano said the issue will be tackled in next month’s National Jail Decongestion Summit spearheaded by the Justice Sector Coordinating Council.

The JSCC is composed of the Supreme Court, the DOJ, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

The DOJ has jurisdiction over the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), which operates the New Bilibid Prison and six other prison and penal farms across the country, while the DILG supervised the BJMP.

“Sa tingin ko po ,‘yung unang-una diyan ‘yung bail dahil po maraming nakakulong sa BJMP.

Pre-conviction po ito ano, wala pang hatol, wala pang judgment, hindi pa nila alam kung convicted ba sila o madidismiss ‘yung kaso nila pero nand’yan sila sa kulungan dahil hindi sila makapagbayad ng piyansa (I think the main reason here is the number of detainees under the BJMP. This is in the pre-conviction level, they have yet to be convicted or their cases dismissed but they are languishing in jail because they could not pay the bail),” Clavano told the “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” forum.

The JSSC said 70 percent of BJMP jails across the country are suffering a 386 percent congestion rate.

Earlier, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the BuCor prison facilities, including the NBP, has an inmate population of over 50,000 as of January this year, although their total capacity is only around 12,000, or an average congestion rate of 310 percent.

The NBP alone has an occupancy rate of 477 percent and congestion rate is at 377 percent considering that it has a capacity of only 6,435 inmates but as of June this year, it has an inmate population of 30,701.

Clavano said this is the reason why Remulla early this year issued a circular directing state prosecutors to slash in half the recommended bail of an indigent accused of committing crimes, except those charged with crimes punishable by death or reclusion perpetua.

Remulla said many of