Prison population expected to grow by 2010 - DILG
by T. Villavert
Iloilo City (22 June) -- The government is addressing the urgency to better manage jail facilities at the local level, said DILG Secretary Ronaldo Puno as he stressed that current prison population nationwide is projected to exceed 115,000 by year 2010.
Secretary Puno said that the Bureau of Jail and Management and Penology (BJMP) studies show that the total jail population could reach 89,000 in 2008; 101,350 in 2009; and 114,930 in 2010.
In a DILG press report, Secretary Puno said that this worsening problem of jail overcrowding could be addressed in large part by the congressional approval of pending bills both in the Senate and the House that seek to streamline the mostly jam-packed jails in urban centers and include hospitals and court rooms in these facilities.
The DILG press report further said that the BJMP is maintaining and building new detention facilities this year and stepping up measures to ensure the safekeeping and rehabilitation of prisoners and detainees under its custody in line with programs under its 2007 budget. (PIA) [top]
