Rehabilitation Programs for Inmates

Prisons

In 2003, the Supreme Court of the Philippines, with the financial assistance of the United Nations Development Programme, released “The Final Report of the National Survey of Inmates & Institutional Assessment”, the salient findings of which, for legal research purposes, are digested below, as follows:

The survey of inmates is a national study covering representative samples from persons in confinement in national penitentiaries and in provincial, district, city and municipal jails. The survey determines the level of general knowledge of and understanding by inmates of their rights, legal protection and remedies, and the status of their cases. The survey also ascertains the attitudes and perception of inmates towards the justice system and adequacy of information on the operation of the justice system, rights and entitlements, legal remedies, and complaint/redress mechanisms.

The institutional assessment component of the project focuses on the review of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and Parole and Probation Administration (PPA) which are among the key agencies of the national government involved in the administration and operation of the Philippine Corrections System.

The BJMP, which is under the DILG, directs, supervises and controls district, city and municipal jails nationwide. It is responsible for the safe custody and rehabilitation of inmates who are convicted with short-term prison sentence (i.e., 3 years or less) and those who are awaiting trial or final judgment by the court.

The PPA administers the parole and probation system of the country. It conducts

investigation of inmates applying for parole, probation and executive clemency, and supervises and monitors those who have already been released from incarceration through the different early release schemes.

The demographic data of the inmates from National Capital Region (NCR) are: Mean age is 30; median age is 29; Single; High school – undergraduate;...