Department of Justice

De Castro 06:55 PM, Apr 29, 2019

Hi! I would like to request for information regarding:

1. The number of recidivists in the Philippines. (Per region)
2. The number of recidivists in the Philippines. (Per sex)
3. The recidivism rate of the Philippines.
4. Top 10 regions with the highest recidivism rate.
5. Future plans regarding rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-offenders in the society.

09:19 AM, May 10, 2019

9 May 2019

Dear Ms. Riesha Kae De Castro,

Greetings!

Thank you for your request dated 29 April 2019, 01:22:43 PM, under Executive Order No. 2 (s. 2016) on Freedom of Information in the Executive Branch.

Your request

You asked from the Department of Justice (DOJ), for research purpose, the following information: 

1.	the recidivist rate in the Philippines;
2.	the recidivist rate in the Philippines classified by region and sex of offender; 
3.	the top 10 regions in the Philippines with the highest recidivism rate; and
4.	future plans to reduce recidivism rate.  

Response to your request

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance this Office does not have the information you have requested.

Please be informed that the correctional system of the Philippines is regulated by distinct institutions under separate Departments. The Bureau of Correction under this Department maintains the country’s prison facilities, where convicted felons or “national offenders” meted out with penalty of imprisonment three (3) years or higher are serving sentence; The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology under the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) administers city, municipal, and provincial jails, where persons-in-custody are temporarily detained awaiting judgment of the court, or while permanently detained, whose penalty is imprisonment for less than three years; and  the Juvenile Justice and Domestic Council under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) conducts the diversionary measures and rehabilitation programs for juvenile delinquents. Given the foregoing facts, it can be deduced that the procurement of the information requested will require the consolidation of various data from the foregoing agencies. Such action is beyond our mandate.

Even so, this Office is committed in assisting you to obtain your requested information. You may wish to contact Mr. Manuel Sescar, FOI Receiving Officer, Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) at (02) 856-60-15 to obtain data from the BuCor. 

For further assistance, you may also check information available online under the following urls:

http://www.bjmp.gov.ph/datstat.html
http://www.prisonstudies.org/country/philippines 
https://www.doj.gov.ph/files/2010Annual.pdf

Lastly, for further assistance, you may review the FAQ section of the eFOI site: https://www.foi.gov.ph/help.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your FOI request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response by writing to Hon. Menardo I. Guevarra, Secretary of Justice. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made within fifteen (15) calendar days from the date when you received this letter. We will complete the review and tell you the result thereof within thirty (30) calendar days from the date when we receive your review request.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Office of the President under Administrative Order No. 22 (s. 2011).

Thank you.


Respectfully,

FOI Decision Maker
FOI Officer