BAGUIO CITY – The Baguio City Jail–Female Dorm reported that the facility has a congestion rate of around 368.75 percent which has significantly exceeded its ideal capacity of 16 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).
Jail Senior Inspector Joan Bacalan, acting warden of the Baguio City Jail–Female Dorm, said that there are already 59 PDLs housed in the facility, with 31 facing non-drug-related cases while 28 are charged with drug-related cases, the leading offense committed by those in the dorm.
She claimed that the female dorm continues to uphold its commitment to efficient case management, proudly maintaining zero overstaying PDLs despite the prevailing challenge on its high congestion rate.
The jail warden disclosed that there were some 15 releases earlier facilitated through current para-legal services and the facility’s partnership with the Public Attorney’s Office which, with their unending support, continuously conducts weekly legal consultations for the PDLs.
According to her, the releases were also facilitated with the implementation of the Good Conduct Time Allowance program that resulted to the release of the PDLs to avoid overstaying in the facility and prevent further congestion.
Bacalan pointed out that in support of the ‘Buhay Ingatan, Druga’y Ayawan’ (BIDA) program of the Department of the Interior and Local government (DILG), the facility implements the continuous conduct of the therapeutic community modality initiative, a structured approach aimed at altering the behaviors of PDLs through group processes and community support, the ‘Katatagan, Kalusugan at Damayan ng Komunidad” (KKDK) program that is designed to re-shape the mindset of drug offenders in partnership with the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) Outpatient Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center, and other activities that aims to combat illegal drugs.
Moreover, the female dorm also coordinated with the same BGHMC facility to conduct in-facility rehabilitation sessions for four female PDLs undergoing outpatient drug treatment which was subsequently approved.
Bacalan stipulated that these initiative eliminates the need for their weekly escorts to the BGHMC outpatient drug treatment and rehabilitation center that significantly reduces their security risks and ensuring the safety of both jail personnel and PDLs. Dexter A. See
