The Philippines has released a total of 81,888 prisoners as part of its efforts to decongest the country’s crowded jails and prevent contamination of Coronavirus (COVID-19) among inmates.
Philippine Chief Justice, Diosdado Peralta, made the announcement on Friday.
In an online media briefing, Peralta said the 81,888 prisoners were released from March 17 to Oct. 16.
Peralta said those released, either through the posting of bail or through recognizance, had served the minimum period of their penalty or granted probation.
Due to the pandemic, the Supreme Court allowed the courts to use video conferencing to speed up the resolution of cases and decongest jails to prevent virus transmission.
The government has conducted targeted COVID-19 testing in the country’s overcrowded jail facilities to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
More than 200 prisoners and jail personnel have contracted the virus, including the death of 21 high-profile prisoners of the Philippines’ national penitentiary New Bilibid Prison in Mutinlupa City.
Overcrowding is rampant in almost all jails in the country. The New Bilibid Prison, for example, can only accommodate 6,435 convicts, but it now houses 28,885 inmates.
The Philippines now has 365,799 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 312,691 recoveries and 6,915 deaths.
