BJMP: 46,000 detainees disqualified for shorter jail time

Around 46,000 detainees have been disqualified for reduced jail time under the revised rules on Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA), according to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).

“Since disqualified ang [persons deprived of liberty or PDLs] ‘charged’ with heinous crimes, that will account to around 40% of PDL under BJMP,” said BJMP spokesperson Jail Superintendent Jayrex Bustinera.

“Per our latest population of 115,000 PDL, that would amount to 46,000 PDL,” Bustinera explained to GMA News Online in a message on Friday.

Based on the latest revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the GCTA, which was released in December last year, PDLs “charged” with heinous crimes are "not entitled" to the shorter jail time credits.

Article IV Section 1 states: “The following shall not be entitled to any GCTA during preventive imprisonment…PDL charged with Heinous Crimes.”

The IRR, meanwhile, provides that “convicted” PDLs are "entitled" to the deductions on their jail time under the GCTA.

Section 2 reads: “The good conduct of a convicted PDL in any penal institution, rehabilitation or detention center or any other local jail shall entitle him to the deductions…”

Due to this, Bustinera said the BJMP and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) as well as the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) will work on another version of the IRR to prevent the disqualification of affected PDLs.

According to Bustinera, these agencies are eyeing a “uniformed” implementation of the GCTA.

“As of the moment, the Bucor and DOJ together with BJMP and DILG are working together to finish a Joint Manual for the uniformed implementation of GCTA,” Bustinera said.

“We are working on a new manual based on the latest IRR and ruling,” he added.

—VAL, GMA Integrated News