DOJ lauded for easing rules on paroles, clemency

A legislator on Monday lauded the Department of Justice for implementing the new rules governing applications for parole and executive clemency.

The department eased the requirements to facilitate the decongestion of prisons to stem the spread of Covid-19 in penal facilities that it supervise.

“I welcome the DOJ’s move, which speaks highly of its leaders’ compassion. It reassures us that the legal authorities are not deaf to pleas for humanity,” Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles, vice chairman of the House of Representatives’ committee on justice, said.

“I hope that this is only the first of many other steps the government takes to address the threat of infection in our congested prisons,” Nograles added.

The DOJ recently approved a resolution by the Board of Pardons and Parole on the Interim Rules on Parole and Executive Clemency, which widens the coverage of those eligible to apply for clemency and simplifies the process.