Reading your way out

Iligan City Jail’s transformation program through literacy and hope

THE Iligan City Jail–Male Dormitory (ICJMD) took center stage at the Philippine Librarians’ Association Inc. (PLAI) Annual Congress in Bacolod City yesterday, Nov. 25. 

Addressing a national audience of librarians, jail staff presented their groundbreaking paper, “Reading in Jail: A Gateway to Personal Development and Reduced Sentences.”

Led by JO3 Walter W. Mainit Jr., Chief of the Welfare and Development Section, and Unit Paralegal Officer JO3 Gerard Vouz P. Tagaro, the presentation highlighted how reading has become a vital lifeline for Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL).

READING FOR FREEDOM. An inmate reads a book inside Iligan City Jail–Male Dormitory’s library initiative. “Read Your Way Out” program allows an inmate to earn sentence reductions through structured reading, formally recognized under the Time Allowance for Studying, Teaching, and Mentoring provision. Photo courtesy of ICJMD

They detailed the journey of the "Read Your Way Out" (RYWO) program, launched in May 2024 in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the National Library of the Philippines.

The program enables PDLs to earn sentence reductions through structured reading, formally recognized under the Time Allowance for Studying, Teaching, and Mentoring provision.The impact on custodial education has been profound.

Before RYWO, only seven inmates per month on average qualified for sentence reductions. 

Since the program's introduction, that number has surged to 148, marking a 2,014 percent increase in participation.The results are tangible. Between May 2024 and April 2025, 24 PDLs secured release using credits earned through reading.

In the months that followed, 38 more walked free, with dozens currently awaiting release.

City Jail Warden JCINSP Carmelo A. Corsame emphasized the program as proof of what empathy and education can achieve.

RECLAIMING FUTURES. An officer from the Iligan City Jail–Male Dormitory addresses the PLAI Annual Congress in Bacolod City, presenting data that links the "Read Your Way Out" literacy program to a significant increase in early prisoner releases. Photo courtesy of ICJMD

“Our PDLs are reclaiming their futures,” he said.

For the Iligan facility, the congress was an opportunity to show that rehabilitation can be rooted in dignity.

As the librarians looked on, it became evident that the RYWO story has extended beyond jail walls — it is now a national example of how literacy can transform lives and restore hope.