Iligan City, Philippines — The Iligan City Jail–Male Dormitory (ICJMD), under the leadership of City Jail Warden JCINSP CARMELO A CORSAME, announces significant progress in its implementation of the Read Your Way Out (RYWO) program—a literacy-based rehabilitation initiative that is reshaping custodial education and contributing to early release outcomes for Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL).
Launched in May 2024 through a partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the National Library of the Philippines, RYWO enables PDL to earn sentence reductions through structured reading activities, formally recognized under the Time Allowance for Studying, Teaching, and Mentoring (TASTM) provision.
The program’s impact is documented in the research study titled “Reading in Jail: A Gateway to Personal Development and Reduced Sentences,” authored by JO3 Walter Woo Mainit Jr, Chief of the Unit Welfare and Development Section at ICJMD. His study reveals a dramatic increase in monthly TASTM grants following the implementation of RYWO. Prior to the program, ICJMD averaged just 7 TASTM grantees per month—a reflection of limited access to qualifying educational activities. After RYWO was introduced, that number surged to a monthly average of 148, with approximately 111 of those grantees actively participating in reading activities.
This represents a 2,014% increase in monthly TASTM grants, underscoring the program’s effectiveness in expanding educational access and incentivizing personal development through literacy.
“These results speak volumes about what’s possible when we invest in human potential,” said JCINSP CORSAME, city jail warden. “RYWO has proven that rehabilitation is a practice rooted in empathy, education, and empowerment. Our PDL are not just serving time; they’re reclaiming their futures, one book at a time.”
The study also highlights early signs of RYWO’s contribution to release outcomes. Between May 2024 and April 2025, 24 PDL were released with documented RYWO-linked TASTM credits, and in the months following the study period, an additional 38 PDL were released due to accumulated reading-based time allowances. A further 67 PDL are scheduled for release in the third quarter of 2025, based on verified participation in RYWO.
JO3 Mainit is set to present his research at the Philippine Librarians’ Association Inc. (PLAI) Annual Congress, to be held at the SMX Convention Center in Bacolod City from November 23–26, 2025. His presentation will spotlight RYWO as a scalable model for literacy-driven rehabilitation and policy innovation.
A graduate of Mindanao State University–Marawi with a degree in Philosophy, JO3 Mainit has earned multiple recognitions through the Gawad Penolohiya, including Best Unit Welfare and Development Officer and Best Therapeutic Community Modality Program Implementer. His work reflects the principles of developmental penology—an emerging framework that shifts correctional practice from punitive incarceration toward education, reintegration, and human dignity.
“Reading gave our PDL hope,” said JO3 Mainit. “This research is about lives changed, perspectives broadened, and futures rewritten.”
