‘More inmates in jails alarming’

Senator Ralph Recto said the rapid rise in inmate population is putting a strain on state resources as taxpayers cough up P81,732 to feed, house, and guard one Bureau of Jail Management and Penology inmate annually.

He said inmate population in 466 jails in the country run by the BJMP soared to 142,282 by end of June, doubling since 2013, or in just 42 months.

“And the BJMP is just one of the three agencies holding prisoners,” Recto pointed out.

The Bureau of Corrections keeps watch over 41,258 sentenced felons in eight penitentiaries, while Philippine National Police runs 458 town jails in addition to precinct-level “holding cells.”