Philippines: Reduce Crowded Jails to Stop COVID-19

Expand Inmates in the North Cotabato District Jail in Kidapawan City, Philippines, January 2017. © 2017 AP Photo (Manila) – Philippine authorities, to stem the COVID-19 outbreak, should release from the country’s overcrowded jails and prisons inmates who have been detained or convicted for low-level and non-violent offenses, Human Rights Watch said today. They should also consider releasing older prisoners and those with underlying medical conditions who would be at greater risk if they became infected. The Philippines has the highest jail occupancy rate in the world, exacerbated by the Duterte…

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