COMMUNITY BAIL BOND UPDATE 02-28 FEBRUARY
- Derek Santos
- Apr 4
- 3 min read
What has been done:
The month of February saw our organization engaging on new initiatives to help Persons Deprived of Liberty obtain early release and become productive members of their community.
Our Community Bail Bond Program continued to reach more PDL who deserve to be released from detention. Our Program Field Officers continued with their regular activities that included conducting weekly monitoring/home visits of successfully released participants, providing guidance and updating the steps they are taking towards becoming productive members of their communities.
Sixteen of our CBB Participants had scheduled hearings for the period covered. Five hearings pushed through while the other eleven were postponed/reset for various reasons.
For this period, we were able to successfully release one CBB Participants from detention. All were released through bail. They join the 205 other CBB Participants that have been released, all of whom we are assisting towards community reintegration.
Our CBB Field Officers paid courtesy call to the warden of Navotas City Jail Male Dormitory, attended the Service Providers Meeting at Malabon City Jail Female Dorm, and paid a courtesy visit to Supt. Ma. Lourdes Pacion, NCRO-WD Chief.
Our PRESO, Inc. Board Members held a special meeting last February 12 to discuss ways forward for the organization.
Last February 21, the Cagayan De Oro Volunteers in Prison Service held their 19th General Assembly. Our organization was invited by the Archdiocese of Cagayan to provide talks on the effective jail volunteerism and aligning church programs with the BJMP's strategic direction.
While in Cagayan de Oro City, we visited the CDO City Jail Male and Female Dormitories and saw the different welfare and development interventions they provide PDL.
The BANDILA (Bagong Buhay ng Dating Inalisan ng Laya) Aftercare Program of the Manila City Jail Male Dormitory, which is being implemented with the Missionary Sisters of St. Columban and supported by PRESO, Inc. continues the implementation of pre-release interventions for PDL due for release. The first released PDL who sought the assistance of BANDILA is now being provided employment.
As of February 28, there have been 517 individuals referred to our program coming from 24 city jail facilities, 2 provincial jail facilities, 17 police stations, 3 youth centers, 3 correctional facilities, and 3 national agencies. Of this number 263 had been interviewed. Of the interviewed, 151 had been successfully bailed out while another 55 had been released through other legal means.
More significantly, we have a total of 70 CBB Participants who have successfully graduated from the CBB Program. We consider participants as having successfully graduated from the Program after their cases have been closed, and at least another six months of monitoring have elapsed. Throughout this period, they must have shown to be responsible members of their community and can lead productive lives.
With their release, the government has now saved ₱ 4,847,930.00. This is computed by adding the amount budgeted per day (PhP70 for food) per PDL multiplied by the number of days since the day of the release from jail of every individual Participant. These savings will increase as days go by and as long as their cases are not terminated. For those whose cases are dismissed, served early or whose probation was approved, we expect a savings of least 60 days of non-incarceration.
Additionally, on top of the food savings by the government, these individuals are now back to the community and actively engaged in their livelihood- hence contributing to the economy. We minimized their exposure to the criminogenic jail environment leading to better reentry to the society as responsible members.
As we forge ahead with our Community Bail Bond Program, we continue to learn and re-learn approaches and procedures. And this is a welcome experience for us. We envision that more PDLs and CICLs would be assisted soon with their liberties restored, their dignity regained and that their lives are eventually rebuilt. We as a community have a significant role in all these. In the long run, support for our prisons and prisoners as a whole would benefit all of society in terms of lower rates of recidivism and increased sense of public safety. GOD IS ON OUR SIDE!
Comments