[ OCA CIRCULAR NO. 270-2016, December 05, 2016 ]

[ OCA CIRCULAR NO. 270-2016, December 05, 2016 ]

[ OCA CIRCULAR NO. 270-2016, December 05, 2016 ]

TO : JUDGES OF THE FIRST AND SECOND LEVEL COURTS

SUBJECT : TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF COMMITTING INMATES TO CONGESTED JAIL FACILITIES

In view of reports of the alarming increase in the number of inmates in jail facilities all over the country, and as confirmed by Jail Director Serafin P. Barreto, Jr., Chief of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), in his letter dated 23 September 2016 relative to the present congested condition of these jail facilities, all judges of the First and Second Level Courts arc hereby DIRECTED to first ascertain the actual state of these facilities and submit a report of their findings to their respective Executive Judges.

The Executive Judges of the First and Second Level Courts, for their part and pursuant to their duty to (a) inquire into the prisoners' proper accommodation and health, and examine the condition, of the jail facilities; and (b) strive to eliminate conditions inimical to the detainees, are hereby DIRECTED to coordinate with the BJMP wardens in identifying the overcrowded jails and to order, if feasible, the temporary suspension of issuance of Commitment Orders transferring inmates to the identified overcrowded jail facilities within their respective administrative areas of responsibility.

5 December 2016

(SGD.) JOSE MIDAS P. MARQUEZ Court Administrator