
All prison records, called carpeta, of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) nationwide are expected to be fully digitized in 2023, Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said.
To be digitized are prison records at the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), the Board of Pardons and Parole (BPP), and the Parole and Probation Administration (PPA).
“Kaya mawawala na ang hard copies ng mga prison records na prone to manipulation (So there will be no more hard copies of the prison records which have become prone to manipulation),” Guevarra said.
“Magkakaroon na ng transparency, magiging more efficient kasi may access na itong four major correctional agencies to a single database (There will be transparency and efficiency since the four agencies will have access to a single database),” he explained.
Also important, he added, is that the digitized system would prevent PDLs from manipulating the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) they earned and get undeserved early release.
Guevarra said the digitized system of prison records is part of Single Carpeta System project of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the European Union (EU)-funded Justice Reform Programme: Governance in Justice (GOJUST).
The project will start this month of June and may be finished in eight months, he said.
Latest records showed there are more than 48,000 PDLs in BuCor’s facilities nationwide. BJMA, PBB and PPA records were not immediately available.