Question & AnswerQ&A (Act No. 2557.)
Act No. 2557 provides that offenders sentenced in any criminal cause shall be credited with one-half of the time they have undergone preventive imprisonment towards their sentence.
No, the Act excludes certain classes of crimes specified in Section 2, such as repeat offenders, absent offenders, and persons convicted of robo, hurto, and estafa.
Excluded are (a) criminals convicted more than once of the same crime or more than twice of any crime, (b) absent offenders who fail to surrender upon legal summons, and (c) persons convicted of robo, hurto, and estafa.
Preventive imprisonment refers to the detention period an accused person undergoes before conviction, which is credited at half its length toward the sentence under this Act.
For every period of preventive imprisonment served, offenders will have one-half of that period credited and deducted from their total sentence duration.
Yes, Section 3 mandates prison wardens in the Philippines to consider the provisions of this Act in computing prisoners’ release time.
It repealed Section 93 of the "Provisional Law for the Application of the Provisions of the Penal Code to the Philippine Islands" and any inconsistent Acts or parts of Acts.
The Act took effect immediately upon its passage on February 1, 1916.
Yes, Section 1 specifically states that offenders at present serving sentences shall be credited with one-half of their preventive imprisonment.
Act No. 2557 was enacted by the Philippine Legislature by the authority of the United States during the colonial period.