Over 15K inmates released amid COVID-19 fears

With new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in jail reaching 783, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) has released 15,322 inmates in its detention facilities nationwide, the Department of the Interior and Local Government said on Thursday.

Majority of the released inmates were “elderly and had committed light or bailable offenses,” while about a thousand were released because of the Supreme Court’s guidelines to decongest jails in the country.

National Capital Region jails have a congestion rate of 608 percent, higher than the 442 percent average nationwide, according to BJMP chief Allan Iral.

Jail visits remain suspended, with the electronic dalaw (e-Dalaw) program still enforced. —Nestor Corrales