I-Witness: ‘Tiis Piitan,’ dokumentaryo ni Jay Taruc (full episode) Quezon City Jail
(Boy)
Investigative documentaries sitwasyon ng mga preso sa biñan custodial facility
alamin region 4 A (Girl and boy)
Child Prisoners in the Philippines (international documentary) (Child)
1. Doon sa tatlo na film na napanuod ano yung reaksyon niyo? What are the
things this 3 jails have something in common and differences?
According to BJMP officials, the total number of detainees in QC Jail has
increased by more than 6% since the implementation of Oplan Lambat Sibat, a drug-
fighting effort.Though overcrowding is nothing new in the QC Jail, officials say the
inhumane conditions of the detainees leave a lot to be desired.Even the stairwells and
narrow hallways have been used as sleeping quarters.Mart is a newly committed
detainee who was reported to the police as a drug user by his friend. Mart claims that in
order to keep his sanity, he must endure the drastic change in his lifestyle.
Ang mga preso sa loob ng correctional facility sa Bian Police Station ang
mistulang sardinas. Nasa 400 ang nagsisiksikang inmates sa 170 katao kasing
kapasidad nito. With its gang of murderers, rapists, and thieves, this jail in the southern
Philippines is like any other. What sets it apart are the children, who have an air of
innocence that belies the fact that they're convicted criminals. The presence of these
children here violates all international covenants as well as Philippine laws. However, in
the absence of designated juvenile facilities, authorities claim that there is just no other
place for them to be housed.
We would not be like this if we were treated well and cared for by our parents,
just as you were well cared for by your parents, which explains who you are now. We
wouldn't have been thieves if we had been treated like you. Some may advise us to
refrain from stealing, but we are poor, so what can we do? We don't understand why
God picked us to be poor when we were born, but as I get older, I will change.
The causes of this unfairness are numerous: corrupt and inept investigators and
prosecutors, a judicial and court system overburdened with too many cases and too few
judges to hear them. According to the Supreme Court, there are no judges on 26
percent of Philippine courts. As a result, current courts are forced to share judges with
other courts, resulting in extraordinarily sluggish trials. Unjust and extended
incarceration are the result of these institutional pathologies. Many inmates have spent
more time in prison than the maximum penalty for the offense with which they were
charged, with some serving as long as 14 years before being convicted or released by
the courts.
The inequity of long incarceration is exacerbated by the appalling conditions in
the jails. Many detention camps in the Philippines do not fulfill the minimal UN criteria
for such facilities, including insufficient food, poor nutrition, and filthy conditions. Torture
and other forms of abuse are very widespread. Because the majority of persons who
break the law are poor, posting bond is rarely an option. Even if they can afford bail, the
vast majority of detainees in most of these facilities face nonbailable drug offenses.The
significant and chronic overpopulation of correctional facilities exacerbates these issues.
The BJMP, which operates 415 detention facilities in 17 areas, claims that its jails are
380 percent overcrowded on average. The BJMP's overall cell area of 22,318 square
meters, which was designed to hold 4,749 offenders, is now home to 21,868 inmates, a
361 percent overcrowding rate. The percentage is 720 percent in another region.
Overcrowding is the biggest worry in police holding cells, according to a study published
by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in April 2015. This overcrowding is the
most common cause of mistreatment in these facilities. The CHR discovered that all of
the 26 lockup cells it visited in various Metro Manila locations were overcrowded, with
some exceeding the intended capacity by approximately 300 percent. Disease and
tension spread among the captives as a result of these conditions.
Because of the paucity of room, inmates are regularly forced to sleep while sitting
or even standing; some even take turns napping. Many offenders sleep on abandoned
cardboard boxes or hang homemade hammocks from the ceilings due to a lack of
suitable bedding. These cells are also frequently deteriorated, with poor ventilation and
lack of natural light; at least two cells at the Manila detention center are in this condition.
Toilet facilities "either do not exist or are poorly maintained" in most of these cells. In
one cell, "a hole directly connected to the sewage" serves as a toilet, while others are
clogged, generating "odious stink."
Detainees, notably pregnant women, are also denied sufficient medical care in
detention institutions. Prenatal care are not available in most Metro Manila jails.
Pregnant inmates in some cells receive no medical care at all. There was no medical
officer accessible in any of the police cells visited by the CHR in Quezon City and
Manila. The International Committee of the Red Cross has voiced worry about the state
of health in Philippine prisons, particularly the rise of respiratory diseases like
tuberculosis, as well as skin infections, diarrhea, and sepsis. To address these issues,
the Philippine government has taken some preliminary efforts. Since 2013, Quezon City
has been testing a scheme to digitize court files and sessions. A European Union-
funded justice-sector reform program has been teaching police officers and detectives
on investigation and case management processes. More lawyers have been hired by
the Public Attorney's Office to represent impoverished suspects.
2. In your opinion what are the different causes why the jail or custodial
facilities in all over the Philippines is congested?
Overcrowding in prisons is a major contributor to bad jail conditions around the
world. It is also arguably the most serious problem confronting prison systems, with
effects that can be life-threatening at worst and hinder institutions from performing their
functions at best.
Overcrowding is a result of criminal justice policy, not rising crime rates, and it
jeopardizes prison systems' ability to satisfy basic human necessities like healthcare,
food, and housing. It also jeopardizes the availability and efficacy of rehabilitation
programs, as well as educational and vocational training and recreational activities. The
utilization of prison for minor, petty infractions, as well as excessive pre-trial detention,
are key factors to prison population expansion.
Overcrowding, as well as related issues such a lack of privacy, can exacerbate or
create mental health issues, as well as increasing rates of aggression, self-harm, and
suicide.
3. Think of the possible solution to address the problem of the jail
congestion or decongestion?
-Programs that give mental health services, drug diversion, or house arrest as
alternatives (especially for minor crimes)
-More jails are being built.
-Increasing the odds of being released on parole.
-Releasing those who have been convicted of crimes that are now considered legal.
Overcrowding makes jails more difficult to administer, and it often leads to more conflict
and violence. As a measure of maintaining control, inmates' freedom of movement is
frequently restricted. Unfortunately, this adds to the stress and hatred that inmates are
already experiencing.
1. Increase possibilities for exercise, sports, cultural, and religious activities to reduce
inmate idleness. Inmates who participate in activities are less likely to be stressed or
angry.
2. Prisoners should be classified and housed according to their level of risk. Lower-risk
organizations have less security requirements and can be controlled with less security.
The health of staff and convicts is at danger as toilet, sanitation, and cooking facilities
become insufficient to support an expanding jail population, making it increasingly
difficult to control communicable diseases.
3. Improve Sanitation Organize and train inmates in basic sanitation, food preparation,
and personal hygiene as part of a preventative health care program.
4. Grow Food Involve low-risk inmates in the cultivation of vegetable gardens and the
raising of livestock (e.g., cattle, sheep, pigs, and possibly poultry) to provide the jail with
additional and more varied food. This will enhance nutrition while also providing
meaningful activity for convicts.
Overcrowding makes it more difficult to run a humane and effective prison. As the
demand for residential space grows, the amount of space available for educational,
recreational, cultural, and religious activities is diminished or removed totally.
5. Increase the involvement of volunteers, community groups, and non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) in providing meaningful programs for prisoners. Volunteer
involvement improves jail morale and minimizes inmate idleness even when space is
restricted.
6. Staff Members Should Be Trained Basic relational skills such as effective
communication, creating respectful and humane relationships, anger management, and
conflict mediation should be taught to staff members. This will boost morale among both
workers and inmates.
Overcrowding in prisons is frequently caused by a delayed judicial system, which results
in a significant increase in the number of remand or non-sentenced convicts. Due to a
lack of legal representation, some non-sentenced convicts may not have appeared in
court, while others may be eligible for bail.
7. Establish a process for lawyers, prosecutors, and judges to assess the legal status of
individual detainees and make appropriate recommendations to the court to reduce the
number of non-sentenced prisoners.
8. Speed Release Arrange for volunteer lawyers or paralegals to assist inmates in
preparing for bail hearings, reducing the time they may have to wait for their cases to be
heard.
Many of the people who have been condemned to prison do not pose a significant
threat to the community. Because there are few other viable options for punishment, the
court has ordered that they be imprisoned. To lower the jail population, effective
alternatives can be adopted.
9. Increase Alternatives Call a meeting with judges, lawmakers, community leaders,
lawyers, and other relevant groups to debate the use of community-based alternatives
to prison for non-violent offenders. To raise awareness of current situations, consider
hosting the conference at a jail or prison.
10. Allow trustworthy convicts to leave throughout the day or on weekends for work,
family visits, or community service activities, unless there are legal hurdles.
4. In your own opinion, it is lawful to put the child inside the jail?
In the Philippines, the minimum age of criminal culpability should be lowered to
15 years old. The proposed reductions range between 9 and 12 years, and they go
against both the letter and the spirit of children's rights.There is no proof or data to
suggest that children are to blame for the rise in crime rates in the Philippines. Adult
offenders will not be deterred from abusing minors to commit crimes if the age of
criminal liability is lowered.
Unfortunately, reducing the age of criminal culpability is a form of child abuse.
Children who have run afoul of the law are already victims of circumstance, owing to
poverty and exploitation by adult criminal gangs. Children who are exploited and pushed
to commit crimes by adults should be safeguarded rather than punished further. They
should instead be offered a second chance to reform and rehabilitate themselves.
According to scientific studies, children's intellect and impulse control do not mature
until they are around 16 years old. Proponents of lowering the criminal responsibility
age believe that youngsters as early as nine years old are already criminally competent
and capable of discernment. If this is the case, why is the Philippines' legal age for
marriage, legal contracts, and employment 18 years old? A 9-year-old youngster has
not yet entered puberty, and their brains have not yet evolved enough to comprehend
the repercussions of their actions.
The present suggestion is to postpone sentencing until a person reaches the age of 25.
If a child gets imprisoned at the age of nine, they may have to spend the rest of their
lives in prison for 17 years before receiving a punishment for the crime they committed.
There is no procedure in place to safeguard these children from living with hardened
criminals, and there is no guarantee that they will be safe in detention from assault and
exploitation.
Detention will not educate youngsters to take responsibility for their conduct. Children
must grow up in a caring, nurturing, and protecting environment in order to maximize
their ability to contribute to nation-building. Strong parenting support programs, as well
as access to health, education, and social services, as well as child-friendly judicial and
social welfare systems, are required.
The present Juvenile Justice and Welfare Law, which establishes a minimum age of
criminal responsibility of 15 years old, already holds juveniles who break the law
responsible. It offers them rehabilitation programs based on restorative justice rather
than punitive justice.
5. What are the common cases why people put in jails, ano yungmataas na
datos na nakakulong sa kulangan
Illegal drug trade
Murder, homicide, physical harm, robbery, theft, vehicle theft, motorbike theft,
and rape are among the eight focus crimes.
6. If you were given a chance how will you going to resolve the issues
pertaining to jail congestion.
While increasing jail capacity or creating new ones can help to alleviate
overcrowding, there are also things that can be done to enhance conditions in
overcrowded prisons. There are ten keys – practical approaches – inside to help
overcrowded prisons and jails improve their circumstances. The Centre for
Justice and Reconciliation put together this list with two factors in mind: first,
does it improve the quality of life for inmates and prison employees, and second,
can it be done (or at least started) without new legislation or enormous sums of
money? Overcrowding in prisons and jails requires a strong commitment from the
government as well as collaboration within the justice system.
