Press Release
April 16, 2014

Pimentel wants to decongest overcrowded jails; seeks assistance for employment of ex-convicts

Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel lll today said he would propose the creation of a new department in government to handle the major functions of the prison system so the country could decongest prisons and speed up the delivery of justice.

At a recent Senate Committee on Justice hearing, Pimentel observed that the prison system's major functions are split between two departments, Interior and Local Government and Justice, fostering inefficiencies that have caused jail congestion and delays in the delivery of justice.

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), which manages those that are accused of a crime, falls under the DILG, while the Bureau of Corrections, which has jurisdiction over the convicted ones, is under the Department of Justice (DOJ).

"It will be more efficient if we have one department to manage both," said Pimentel at the committee hearing.

This was one of several reform measures he proposed to initiate after noting the worsening jail congestion problem.

Pimentel said he would conduct a "spot-checking of BJMP prisons to ensure that there are no more overstaying prisoners."

This move, he explained, will help government decongest BJMP prisons and to give justice to overstaying prisoners.

Pimentel explained that 97 percent of BJMP detainees "are not yet convicted." Justice dictates that "if a detainee has already served the maximum prison term for his alleged crime, then he should be let go and set free."

At the same time, he said he would propose incentives for companies that will hire ex-convicts and hasten their integration into society.

"It's a fact of life that employers would naturally choose a normal applicant over an ex-convict. By proposing incentives to companies that will hire ex-convicts, we equalize the playing field for ex-cons," Pimentel said.

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