The application of the new Penal Code has reduced the number of people submitted to “preventive custody” (jailed without bail) from last September to March of 2005. According to the Listin Diario, between September 2004 and March 2005, 5,672 persons were sent to jail without bail, and 4,375 were released. Currently the jail population in the Dominican Republic is at 13,472, with 8,910 in preventive custody and 4,562 prisoners with convictions and sentences. Under the new code, the trend is for less people to be incarcerated and more to be freed. In November 2004, 828 people were sent to jail, and 955 were freed. In December, the numbers were 1,114 jailed and 1,202 freed. Since its inception, the code has been attacked by those that feel the traditional methods of investigation are better, while it has been praised by human rights advocates.
When the new Penal Code went into effect back in September 2004, the Supreme Court appointed a team of judges to terminate the 300,000 cases that were pending under the former code, and this included many persons in preventive custody. Although the trend is towards the reduction of the number of preventive custody cases, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court announced that there will be a special fund set aside to facilitate the quick resolution of all of these pending cases.