CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Change comes in myriad ways, most of these changes can occur randomly but for

those individuals whose freedom and liberty are notably stripped, change can be

sudden and swift or not at all. The challenges and difficulties confronting man are

exponentially equivalent to its rate of success and development, thus the complexities

of living in today’s modern society are fraught with innumerable varying choices. These

variables compounded by the psychological, emotional, financial and social pressures

exerted to an average man/woman are often the root cause for misbehavior and

pervasive violations of basic human laws. And society in general has its corresponding

reaction to those who blatantly disregard the laws of the land and that is incarceration

and/or detention in facilities especially designed to house individuals who are in conflict

with the prevalent laws of society. These penitentiaries and jails have a basic underlying

function integrated within their distinct mandates, that is the reformation and

reintegration of prisoners or Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL) back into mainstream

society.

According to Clark Jones and Raymund Narag, “The Philippines has the most

overcrowded prison system in the world”. The detention centers managed by the

Philippine National Police, the Jail facilities overseen by the Bureau of Jail Management

and Penology and the LGU and the prisons and penal farms have reported rate of

an .estimated 500% overcrowding rate which increased exponentially during former

President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs with 67% since 2016(1). To date the

Philippines has a congestion rate of 36,000% congestion rate. With these staggering

statistics in mind, it brings to focus the various programs that are currently implemented

inside these facilities and their effectiveness in reforming the individuals. In the

Philippines alone, the ratio of the total number of employees of the Bureau of Jail

Management and Penology (BJMP) in 2019 was at 15,062. This was only 33.3 percent

of the 45,201 authorized manpower. The actual ratio of BJMP personnel to persons

deprived of liberty in 2019 was pegged at 1:9, which was far from the ideal ratio of 1:3.

(2)

Britannica describes prison as an institution for the confinement of persons who have

been remanded (held) in custody by a judicial authority who have been deprived of their

liberty following conviction for a crime (3). The earliest known rehabilitation program

used in the past was Solitary Confinement. This method was viewed as an ideal form of

rehabilitation, with the thought that solitude will aid the offending PDL become

remorseful and as a result a step towards rehabilitation. Another wildly used philosophy

of prison management and rehabilitation was the “silent system” or the “Auburn

System,” which arose roughly the same time. This system allows prisoners/ PDL to

work together while maintaining constant silence during the day since they are

individually confined in their respective cells at night. These two systems believe that

contact between PDLs should be curtailed to avoid influencing one another.

There has been changes in prison management and prison reform which has become

increasingly important in the fields of justice and penology. To cite one example, the

mark system was developed sometime in 1840 by Capt. Alexander Maconochie.

Instead of serving fixed sentences, prisoners were required to earn credits, or “marks,”

in amounts proportional to the seriousness of their offenses. Credits were accumulated

through good conduct, hard work, and study, and they could be withheld or subtracted

for indolence or misbehavior. Prisoners who obtained the required number of credits

became eligible for release. It emphasized training and performance, rather than

solitude, as the chief mechanisms of reform. This type of system has been modified to

suit the needs of modern society, in the Philippines, the use of Good Conduct Time

Allowance was adapted to lessen the sentence of a convicted PDL.

The BJMP and the Bureau of Corrections have flexible and adaptable reformatory

programs to aid in the rehabilitation and reformation of PDL. These are modified to suit

the needs of every type of PDL currently detained in the facilities. Most PDL detained

today have no proper training or educational experience. A majority have not finished

elementary or high school levels. A few have declared having reached the tertiary levels

of education. These PDL do not have the necessary skillsets that would allow them to

have an alternative means of livelihood. They purely rely on what they were crudely

trained for. As a result, most of these PDL have no choice but to fall back on what they

use to do before detention. Most of these PDL came from poor families with no access

to programs that could aid them in their struggle against poverty. Today, there are

several programs duly designed to foster change and reformation in PDLs. In the

Philippines, under the auspices of the BJMP, these programs provide the means to
become financial independence through their livelihood programs, emotional and

spiritual communion via religious services, recreational programs and alternative

systems of learning. These various programs were developed by the BJMP to allow for

the rehabilitation and subsequent reformation of PDL during their detention in the

facility.

The researchers would like to conduct an analysis on the impact of these programs on

the lives of the PDL. The resulting analysis could help aid in the formulation and

creation of more efficient reformatory programs streamlined to fit the needs of the PDL

in the country.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This research aims to analyze the impact of the various reformatory programs currently

implemented for PDL rehabilitation and reintegration at the Zamboanga City Jail Female

Dormitory. This study should be able to answer the following:

1. How effective are the following reformatory programs as implemented in

Zamboanga City Jail in relation to the benefits to the PDL as assessed by IWD

personnel and selected PDL respondents?

2.What is the significant difference between the assessments of the two sets of

respondents on the level of effectiveness of the above reformatory programs as

implemented?
 3.How do the reformatory programs significantly impact the PDL behavior based

on the following variables as perceived by the two groups of respondents?

4. What significant difference can be identified between the perception of the two

sets of respondents to the impact of the reformatory programs on PDL behavior?

5.What development programs may be proposed in preparation PDL

reintegration into mainstream society?

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

The research is only limited to the analysis on the impact of the four (4) reformatory

programs; Religious Service, Livelihood Programs, Recreational Programs, Educational

Programs. The study will be limited only to randomly selected female PDL of the

Zamboanga City Jail Female Dormitory, located at Baranggay Zone, Dr. Varela Street,

in Zamboanga City.
 CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

“There is a huge difference between wanting to change and being willing to change.

Almost everyone wants to change for the better. Very few are willing to take the steps

necessary to create that change.”(John T Child, Organizational Theorist, 1940)

Reformation of prisoners or aptly called PDL is a serious undertaking and a national

concern. Most of today’s PDL are recidivists, having been caught over and over again in

violation of the same crime. Imprisonment affects both the individuals and their families

who are living in poverty. When the breadwinner of the family is caught and imprisoned

the rest of the family suffer as they adjust to the loss of income. As a result, the impact

of imprisonment can be severe especially in poor and developing countries where the

government cannot provide financial assistance to the indigent and its immediate and

extended family network. Thus, the family experiences financial losses as a result of the
imprisonment, it is exacerbated further by the additional expenses that occurs as a

result- such as the cost of a lawyer, food for the imprisoned person, transport to prison

for visits and so on. When released, former prisoners are generally subject to socio-

economic exclusion and are thus vulnerable to an endless cycle of poverty,

marginalization, criminality and imprisonment. Thus, imprisonment contributes directly

to the impoverishment of the prisoner, of his family and of society by creating future

victims and reducing future potential economic performance.

The contribution to the successful reintegration of PDL to society following their release

is one of the primary objectives of the United Nations in the area of prison reform.

Successful reintegration is supposedly more effective if preparation for reintegration is

done while serving prison term before re-entry to society. a prisoner for re-entry to

society. This policy requires close coordination between criminal justice institutions and

social protection and health services in the community and probation services where

they exist. United Nation Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) can offer key support and

advice regarding the issue which includes supporting the development of social

reintegration programs in prisons and in assisting with the planning and implementation

of continuum of care and support in the community.

In the United States, the Bureau of Prison believes in a corrections philosophy that

reentry preparation must begin on the first day of incarceration. Gathering and obtaining

information about a PDL’s risk of repeating the same offense and other information will

assist in the development of an individualized reentry plan. Social science research

indicates each inmate possesses his or her own "criminogenic factors,"(4) such as

criminal history, substance abuse, and education level. By identifying these factors as

soon as an inmate enters custody, the BOP ensures that the individual receives

appropriate services and can monitor his or her progress throughout the term of

incarceration. 

Furthermore, studies in the US show that inmates who participate in correctional

education programs have 43 % lower odds of returning to prison than those who do not,

and that every dollar spent on prison education saves four to five dollars on the costs of

re-incarceration.(5)  Together with the private sector, the US Bureau of Prison has built

a semi-autonomous school district within the federal prison system and has offered

programs for adult literacy/basic skills, high school diplomas, post-secondary education,

and expanded opportunities for individuals with learning disabilities. Under the new

system, each federal inmate will be assessed upon incarceration to determine his or her

education level and determine the type and level of instruction needed. 

Several prisons in the US are expanding opportunities for occupational training, with a

focus on ensuring that inmates develop the job skills they need to find work after

release from custody.  Studies have shown that inmates who worked in prison

industries were 24% less likely to recidivate and 14% more likely to be gainfully

employed after release from custody than other inmates.  In 2016, the BOP hired Gary

Simpson, a former manufacturing and operations executive of a Fortune 100 company,

to restore FPI’s viability and increase opportunities for inmates.

Recidivism risk can be effectively reduced through evidence-based programming that

targets criminogenic needs, such as courses in cognitive behavioral therapy and other

topics.  Inmate programming also makes prisons safer because inmates occupied in
productive activities are less likely to engage in institutional misconduct.  Finally, the

BOP is committed to increasing inmate enrollment in appropriate programs by

improving its case management process and providing greater use of incentives.

The United States Bureau of Prison has provided intensive substance abuse treatment

for inmates for more than 20 years. The Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP), one

of the Bureau’s most effective recidivism-reduction programs, has been expanded

recently to include additional programs for Spanish-speaking inmates, inmates with a

dual mental health diagnosis, high security level inmates, and female inmates.  In

addition, to help inmates with a history of opioid dependence as they transition back to

the community, BOP has recently launched a regional field trial to offer Medication-

Assisted Treatment (MAT) for certain inmates, with plans to expand the program.

Several studies show that close and positive family relationships during incarceration

reduce recidivism, improve an individual’s likelihood of finding and keeping a job after

prison, and ease the harm to family members separated from their loved ones.  In April

2016, BOP announced a series of family-friendly initiatives strengthening the bonds

between inmates and their children and families.  These programs included expanded

video-conferencing visitation; the launch of a pilot program that engages children of

incarcerated parents in positive youth development activities; new guidance and training

for BOP staff on how to make visitation spaces more child friendly and interact with

children in a developmentally appropriate way; educating inmates on how to keep in

contact with children who may be in foster care; tip sheets for parents, correctional staff

and mentors to support children of incarcerated parents; and a new interagency

partnership to develop model policies that can be used by state and local prison
facilities to help strengthen family ties.  In addition, all Bureau facilities are now required

to hold at least one “Family Reunification Event” per year.  

Access to government-issued identification documents is critical to successful reentry. 

Without such documentation, men and women leaving correctional facilities face

extreme challenges securing employment and housing, registering for school, opening

bank accounts, and accessing other benefits, such as health care, that are critical to

successful integration.  BOP is working to ensure that every federal inmate obtains

government-issued identification, including a Social Security card, birth certificate, and

state-issued photo ID card, prior to his or her return to the community.  In November

2016, BOP announced that it would begin covering the costs of obtaining these

documents prior to an inmate’s release to an RRC, after independent consultants

determined that doing so would actually save BOP approximately $19 million per year

(by making it easier for RRC residents to obtain employment and housing, thereby

facilitating their transfer to less-expensive home confinement).