SC eyes house arrest, other alternatives to jail

Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo said the Supreme Court (SC) is moving to amend its rules on detention and release to allow house arrest, medical confinement and community-supervised release as alternatives to incarceration, as part of a broader effort to decongest jails nationwide.

Gesmundo said the proposed revisions would also update the Court’s rules on compassionate or humanitarian release, covering elderly or seriously ill offenders and those who have served their minimum terms.

He noted that the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), through the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, has strengthened its paralegal and case-monitoring efforts to ensure that when an inmate becomes eligible for release, the necessary paperwork is already before the judge.

“Each measure belongs to a particular institution, but together they address different points along the same process,” Gesmundo said.

The proposed judiciary rules are part of a coordinated effort with the Department of Justice and the DILG. Gesmundo said the strategy has already reduced the national jail congestion rate by double-digit percentages.

While other agencies address bottlenecks at different stages of the justice process, the Supreme Court is focusing on bail, detention and release procedures.

Gesmundo said jail congestion could not be understood or addressed as a problem of the correctional system alone.

“The causes of delay stem from various points in the justice chain — from initial investigation and prosecution to case resolution and final release,” he said.

Gesmundo described congestion as more than an administrative issue, noting that “behind every statistic is a person whose liberty is at stake, a family awaiting the return of a loved one, and an individual on the road to a new beginning.”

He expressed hope the justice sector would continue to build on its collaborative efforts, saying that institutions are strongest when they remain faithful to their mandates and constitutional boundaries while recognizing how their work connects with that of other agencies.