8. Majority of inmates are not apt for pardons
A full 77% of all inmates in Dominican jails are not even close to getting an executive pardon. The massive amounts of pardons, which have surpassed standard proportions over the past two years, have created a controversy and prompted charges of corruption. The cases of Stalin Lebron, the ?Queen of Ecstasy? and the scandal in the town of Mao, where pardons were sold so that the drug operations could continue, are just three of the examples that have made the headlines.
Meanwhile, inmates held in preventive custody are living in very crowded conditions and continue to comprise the vast majority of the DR?s prison population. Of the 13,435 inmates currently housed in the 32 Dominican jails, the Board of Prisons says that 67.5% have not been convicted of any crime. This represents 9,079 inmates who still do not know what the future holds for them, no matter how long they have been inside the prison walls. If the rules are followed correctly, only convicted inmates can be considered for a pardon. Right now, however, there are 28 inmates not convicted being held in preventative custody who are on the list for presidential pardon on 16 August. Besides the questionable preventative custody cases, there are 1,271 cases of potential pardonees whose trials are still in process. Given their ?pending? status, these inmates are not eligible for pardon, either. All told, this means that 77% of the prison population is ineligible for pardons.
Of 3,086 convicted prisoners, however, 2,612 have been pardoned in recent years by the PRD government.
When El Caribe revealed that 53% of the inmates being considered for pardons had been convicted of murder or drug violations, Attorney General Victor Cespedes told reporters that they would not be eligible for pardon. Nonetheless, he pointed out that an inmate?s behavior was more significant than the crime for which he has been convicted. Cespedes also said that child molesters would not be pardoned.