EDITORIAL - Privileged prisoners

Prisoners are allowed “living out” privilege  or to serve their sentence outside a detention cell but within a prison reservation  for humanitarian reasons in the case of inmates aged 70 or older. For the rest, the privilege is in line with the main purpose of the modern penal system, which is rehabilitation: “living out” is meant to provide community immersion to a prisoner whose release is imminent.

With lax security or corrupt custodians, however, the privilege can be easily abused. This appears to be the case with regard to Jose Antonio Leviste, who was arrested last Wednesday afternoon in Makati outside the LPL building, which he owns. Leviste is serving a sentence of up to 12 years for killing his aide, Rafael de las Alas, in his office in the same building in 2007. Bureau of Corrections officials said he was allowed living out privilege because he is past 70. Now the privilege has been cancelled, Leviste faces charges of evasion of sentence, and he could lose any eligibility for a shorter prison term.

The Department of Justice, which has jurisdiction over the Bureau of Corrections, is looking into reports that another convicted killer, Rolito Go, has also abused the living out privilege. This abuse can be stopped only if measures are implemented to tighten security within prison reservations and improve monitoring of the activities of living out prisoners.

The country does not have ankle bracelets that are used in the United States to monitor convicts who are allowed to serve their terms outside prison. Instead Philippine prison authorities are supposed to conduct regular checks on the activities of living out prisoners precisely to prevent the abuse of the privilege. If there is such a system at the New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa, it was not applied in the case of Leviste, a prosperous businessman and Batangas politician.

Leviste was caught only because he is a known personality. Authorities are verifying reports that he had even attended meetings of his civic club in recent months. Corrections officials said about 400 prisoners enjoyed living out privilege. How many others have abused it? If the abuse is to be stopped, those responsible for Leviste’s caper, whether due to incompetence or for personal gain, must be meted appropriate punishment.