Caloocan police address prison congestion

With the growing rate of imprisoned individuals, the Caloocan City Police is ensuring that all the needs of its inmates are being met.

According to data obtained from the Caloocan City Police, they are currently housing 784 prisoners, scattered across its 15 police substations.

Of the total inmates, 726 or nearly 93 percent are male.

The prisoners held in the Northern Police District and Caloocan City Jail in Dagat-Dagatan Avenue are not included in the list.

The Caloocan City Police Station alone in Sangandaan is holding 293 individuals, or nearly 38 percent of the total detainees in the city.

Of the 293 inmates, seven have disabilities, while six are senior citizens.

The Sangandaan-based police station currently has six correctional facilities: three for males, two for females, and one for isolating inmates.

Sick inmates and those with disabilities are placed in isolation facilities due to their additional needs, according to PSSg Jerome Soccoro.

Even inmates with terminal illnesses are provided with necessary care. Soccoro said that an inmate undergoing dialysis is brought to a dialysis center weekly for treatment.

Additionally, members of the health unit visit the police station regularly to check inmate health and prevent the spread of viral illnesses.

Despite financial constraints, Socorro assured that inmates are provided with meals three times a day. He also stressed that when family members visit, the prisoners often share the food with other inmates.

The ideal jail density is 1:4.7, meaning each inmate should have 4.7 square meters of space in their cell. However, Socorro admitted that similar to other penitentiary facilities in the country, they are unable to meet this ideal density.

One of the factors is the more vigorous police operations that result in more individual arrests, and the slow justice procedures in the country that lead to the accumulation of imprisoned persons.

“Full-blown congestion in prison cells is avoidable,” Socorro said, as some prisoners are being transported to Caloocan City Jail or New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.