Congestion remained a serious problem among the country’s jails amid last year's public health threat posed by the deadly 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
The Commission on Audit has revealed that there was little improvement in the country’s jail situation with cells packed with 115,336 persons deprived of liberty (PDL’s) as of December 31, 2020, which is 403 percent over the ideal capacity of 34,893.
In the 2020 annual audit report for BJMP, COA disclosed that the excess capacity in the jails has reached 80,443.
Last year, COA called the attention of the BJMP on overcrowded detention centers, saying that 106,361 PDLs cramped the jails that could only house 24,306 individuals. The overcrowding was 438 percent over the normal occupancy, auditors disclosed.
The miserable jail situation was relayed to BJMP chief Director Allan S. Iral by COA Director Michael Bacani .
State auditors reminded BJMP of Rule 10 of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners stating that PDL accommodation should meet health requirements on “air, minimum floor space, lighting, heating and ventilation.”
They also pointed out that the BJMP Manual on Habitat, Water, Sanitation and Kitchen in Jails provides that cell capacity should be 4.7 square meters per inmate; maximum number of inmates per cell should be 10 and maximum number of bunk beds be limited to five units per level.
COA disclosed that Region IV-A is the most congested among the 17 regions, registering 619 percent congestion rate. This represented 20,876 PDLs huddled in jail cells meant for 4,708 individuals.
Ranked second is Region III that registered a 609 percent congestion rate, with 8,171 PDL’s housed in detention centers built for just 1,669 persons.
The National Capital Region has a congestion rate of 595 percent. BJMP jails in the region are filled up with 27,138 inmates although the ideal capacity is 5,125 or a variance of 22,013.
Compared to the 2019 congestion report, COA said there had been a reduction of 8,436 in inmate population in the NCR because of BJMP’s “swift action to decongest the jails” to address the COVID-19 problem.
COA noted that the BJMP has “continuously” professionalized jail services, saying that “congestion has always been one of the biggest challenges in carrying out its mandate in human safekeeping and development of PDL under its care.”
“While congestion rate decreases by 35 percent in CY 2020, 403 percent congestion rate is still way beyond the accepted standards set by the United Nations,” the state audit agency disclosed.
The audit report cited the Supreme Court guidelines for the decongestion of jails, saying that this prompted the BJMP-NCR to immediately carry out action to address the situation.
According to COA the BJMP NCR made efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by putting up “isolation and quarantine facilities”.
Audit examiners warned that jail congestion leads to health and sanitation problem like the COVID-19 pandemic; demoralization and health issues on PDL’s and increased gang affiliation among inmates.
“These conditions greatly affect the morale and disposition of PDLs considering that they are not yet convicted and are presumed innocent,” the audit agency said.
According to COA the BJMP received P1.77 billion and P2.89 billion, in 2018 and 2019, respectively, for the construction of jail facilities.