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Digital Inclusion, E-Government

Philippine city pilots e-service for inmates

By Pia Rufino | 19 October 2011

The local government of Quezon City, the most populous city in the Philippines, has unveiled an online chat facility allowing inmates to get virtually in touch with their relatives in far areas. The programme also aims to curb drug or weapons smuggling in the jail.

Launched by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), the e-dalaw (visit) project allows the inmates to talk to their love ones via the free video chat application—Skype— in a Wi-Fi enabled room.

Quezon City Jail chief Supt. Joseph Vela said the e-dalaw program will let about 3,000 inmates, who do not receive regular visitors, talk to their relatives up to five minutes through Skype.

“We want to extend this to them to help assuage their loneliness,” he added.

The OSG donated five computers, while the city jail administration will shoulder the internet bills of Php900 (US$21) per month.

People who wish to talk to an inmate, have to send an e-mail to the QC jail mail account naming the inmate they wish to chat with. A reply from the jail’s paralegal staff will then set the schedule of their online meeting.

Inmates with relatives in far areas will be given priority.

Vela also guaranteed that jail personnel will closely monitor the conversation of the inmates to prevent the service from being used in committing a crime.

He further said another five computer units have been donated to the Women’s Correctional in Mandaluyong city.

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