Plea bargaining scheme lowers number of inmates

BALANGA CITY, Bataan – The number of inmates at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) at the Bataan District Jail has dramatically declined because of the plea bargaining agreement between inmate and the BJMP.
This was learned Tuesday from Jail Supt. Andrew Tauli who said that as of March 5, this year the Bataan district jail has a total of 890 inmates of whom 804 are males and 86 are females.
Most of the cases involved illegal drugs numbering at 567 while crime against persons, numbering at 112 (murder, 59, rape 53).
Tauli told reporters that in the past the number of inmates at the provincial jail reached more than 2,000 when the facilities are good only for 600 inmates. The fast pace with which the cases are resolved is attributed to the plea bargaining agreement.
Under the said agreement, the inmates are “challenged” to admit their involvement in a crime thus qualifying them for plea bargaining agreement. The process is undertaken with the assistance of lawyers from the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), Tauli said.