Supreme Court Chief Justice Jorge Subero Isa told his audience that the new penal code that enters into effect this Monday (27 September) will revolutionize the justice system in the Dominican Republic. He categorically discarded the idea that the new code favors delinquents, who, he said, “are favored by a lack of jobs and opportunities, not by the judicial standards.” Speaking at a luncheon of the Bani Alliance at the Club Naco in Santo Domingo, Subero Isa said that with the application of the new code, within five years there will not be one case pending a hearing or decision. He said the fact that some people spend ten or twelve years in prison before being found innocent was “perverse” and used the same word for the cases of people jailed before the Justice Department and the National Police have formalized any charges. With the new code, the charges will be drawn up and a judge will decide if an arrest is warranted. Subero Isa also announced that the new office of the Public Defender will begin its work on Monday by offering free judicial assistance to the poor. Among the innovations announced by the justice was the 21 October opening of the first Family Court that will deal with divorces and correction of documents.