Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo disclosed that more than 69,000 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) were released through paralegal assistance from January to September 2025.

This was on top of nearly 85,000 inmates who benefited from the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA), as reforms introduced since the first National Decongestion Summit two years ago began easing jail overcrowding.

Speaking at the second National Jail and Prison Decongestion Summit in Manila on Wednesday, Gesmundo said an additional 27,826 PDLs received Time Allowance for Study, Teaching, and Mentoring during the same period, contributing to a measurable reduction in congestion rates nationwide.

Data from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology showed the national jail congestion rate fell by 10 percent, from 296 percent in May 2025 to 286 percent in September 2025.

Gesmundo described the figures as a significant step toward more humane jail management.

“These initiatives are bearing fruit,” Gesmundo said, citing reforms adopted after the first summit, where justice sector leaders committed to a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to decongest jails and prisons.

He said a key reform was the expansion of Justice Zones, local coordination hubs among police, prosecutors, courts, and jail officials. A European Union-supported review found these zones helped resolve justice issues in 85 percent of covered areas.

A review conducted under the EU’s Governance in Justice Programme (GOJUST) also showed that 61 percent of stakeholders reported improved jail decongestion rates, often linked to timely plea bargaining, expanded use of probation and recognizance, and effective implementation of Supreme Court issuances.

As part of the judiciary’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022–2027, Gesmundo said the Supreme Court is revising the Rules of Criminal Procedure to institutionalize custodial hearings, allowing courts to determine whether accused persons qualify for alternatives to detention such as house arrest, hospital arrest, or compassionate release.

The Court is also developing the country’s first sector-based manual for handling cases involving women in conflict with the law, incorporating international standards such as the Mandela Rules and the Bangkok Rules.

Gesmundo stressed expanded access to free legal assistance through the Law Student Practice Rule, the Unified Legal Aid Service, and the Court’s online legal aid directory, which enables detainees to locate legal aid providers nationwide.

He also cited a Supreme Court ruling clarifying the computation of GCTA, affirming that even prisoners convicted of heinous crimes may qualify for time allowances under the law.

Despite the gains, Gesmundo acknowledged that jail congestion remains severe and requires sustained, coordinated action across all pillars of the criminal justice system.

“Congestion is not caused by a single failure, nor can it be solved by a single institution,” he said, calling for deeper inter-agency collaboration, data-driven reforms, and sustained urgency in resolving cases.