Prison for heinous crime convicts nears approval

A separate prison facility for heinous crime convicts may soon be built in the country as the bill proposing its establishment awaits final approval in the Senate.

The Senate approved on second reading Tuesday night, December 10, Senate Bill No. 1055 which seeks separate detention facilities for those convicted of high-level drug trafficking, rape, and other heinous crimes.

The bill is expected to pass third and final reading next week.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III, one of the proponents of the bill, said the measure will help decongest the crammed prison facilities in the country.

Once the penal institution is established, he added that those convicted of heinous crimes will no longer be able to continue on with their illegal activities.

“Mas mababantayan sila dahil sila-sila lang nandoon (They will be monitored well because only inmates convicted of heinous crimes are there),” he said.

“So lahat ng mga involved sa illegal drugs at rape with homicide, hindi na makakapag operate yang mga 'yan (So those involved in illegal drugs and rape with homicide cannot operate anymore),” Sotto said in a chance interview in Senate.

Under the bill, a maximum penal institution shall be constructed in a secured and isolated location where there will be no unwarranted contact or communication with those outside of the building.

The penal institution shall be “state-of-the-art” and equipped with round-the-clock surveillance system and extensive security features on locks, doors, and its perimeters. It shall also be kept clean and habitable "at all times"