THE Davao City Parole and Probation Administration (DCPPA) Office has recorded higher number of inmates which had been given parole and probation by their office for the third quarter this year compared to last year.
In an interview with SunStar Davao Thursday, October 6, Chief probation and parole officer of DCPPA Office-1 Amites Butiong said from July to September this year, they are able to grant probation to 14 inmates and had also given parole to four others from Davao City and the Davao Penal Code Colony in Panabo City.
Last year, the office only granted probation for two inmates and parole for four inmates.
Butiong said only those who can avail the probation are persons who are sentenced with an imprisonment below six years and are not risky to be released in the communities while a parole can also be granted to those who are sentenced with an imprisonment above six years and have already served their minimum number of years.
"They (parole grantees) are free but their sentence is suspended," Butiong said.
Butiong added that those who are in probation who will be caught engaging in another offense are entitled to serve their sentence back to zero while those who are under parole will be charged again and will need to serve the remaining years of their parole.
Butiong said they are now coordinating with the Bureau of Jail and Management and Penology (BJMP) in implementing the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA)Law that deducts the number of days and years of sentence of a convict once he will show good performance and attitude inside the prison.
Butiog said Republic Act (RA) 10592, also known as the GCTA Law, has been amended last March 26, 2014 after it was approved in May 29, 2013.
The full implementation of the law was done only late last year due to the fact that capacity building of the implementers of this law was done first.
The increase of the number of inmates who had been freed can be attributed to the jail visitations initiated by their office.
BJMP has also given them a list of the possible candidates who can avail their service.
Butiong also said it can help in decongesting jails in the city since majority of the inmates are violators of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 or RA 9165, an offense that is not covered by the parole and probation privileges.