Dagupan jail congested
THE Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Dagupan has reason to be alarmed and seriously concerned about health of inmates these days.
The facility, designed to hold 100 prisoners, is now home to 357 inmates and still growing.
“Based on statistics, there’s already almost 250 percent congestion rate in our jail,” said Jail Supt. Edgar Bolcio.
Bolcio said the growing inmate population is due to the slow processing of cases with the lack of lawyers willing to provide free legal service to poor inmates, the lack of interest among some existing counsels to pursue cases, and the backlog in court proceedings.
He called on the government to create more courts and hire more lawyers who can provide free legal services.
In addition, Bolcio said he currently has about 15 insular prisoners who have been sentenced to more than three years in jail and therefore need to be transferred to the National Bilibid Prison in Manila but there are no funds available for their transport.
Plans to build extension cells are also on hold due to lack of funds.
Bolcio said with the congestion, the prisoners do not sleep on beds but on mats laid on the floor to allow more space.
Of the present inmate population, 42 are female and the rest are males. The oldest inmate is a 60-year old male.
The longest staying inmate has been in jail for seven years just waiting for the resolution of his case.
Most of the inmates are charged with cases involving illegal drugs, illegal recruitment, estafa, theft and robbery, and homicide and murder. #
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
