The Director of the National Office of Public Defense, Rodolfo Valentín, understands that humanitarian pardons should be granted for those deprived of liberty who suffer from serious illnesses, whose crimes have not been of a very serious nature, but who have shown exemplary behavior during their time. in prison.
He clarified that the pardon is a grace granted by the Executive to people deprived of liberty or who are partially serving a sentence.
He assured that the three dates established by the Magna Carta to grant this grace will always be conducive to its implementation. However, he highlighted that, to grant humanitarian pardons, it is essential to carry out a rigorous filter of the beneficiaries, prioritizing those who really need it and preventing this process from being affected by political situations or serious crimes. In addition, he emphasized that those people who suffer from terminal illnesses, proven by a board of the Ministry of Public Health.
He highlighted that there are numerous patients whose conduct in prison has been exemplary, and whose faults were not serious. “These individuals deserve an opportunity to rest in peace, outside of overcrowded prison conditions,” he stressed.
Likewise, the official proposed that, while the law regulating humanitarian pardons is being created, the President of the Republic could, by decree, form a commission of moral solvency in charge of recommending the possible beneficiaries of this type of pardon. He assured that, even if said list were made, the Executive would have the power to exclude those who it does not consider suitable to receive the pardon on the scheduled dates, without generating legal consequences, by virtue of the discretionary power of the Executive.
You may be interested in reading: 1 of the 4 criminals killed in La Romana by the Police had injured three security guards
Valentín also highlighted that the implementation of humanitarian pardons would contribute significantly to reducing prison overcrowding and would allow many sick people to live their last days with dignity. Likewise, he pointed out that the figure of the Judge of Execution of the Sentence, which exists in other judicial systems, does not replace the power of the Executive to grant this grace on commemorative dates, since the constitutional reform of 2024 has kept this presidential power in force. .
