Abdulraouf L.

Rasol 11/16/22
BSAE - 3YS1
VF5(18) - FEATI Life 5
Activity #5

Discuss/explain each question comprehensively.

1. How effective do you feel our judicial and penal systems are in punishing or rehabilitating
criminals? Why? Again, give specific examples and illustrations.

I think they are inconsistent, slow and ineffective. Why? According to the 2018 World Justice Project
Rule of Law Index . Philippines is No. 88 of 113 in terms of Rule of Law. Also here are 5 facts about
Philippines’ Incarceration System. According to the borgenproject.org.

1. Severe overcrowding – Rodrigo Duterte won the presidential election in 2016. He promised
to end crime within six months. This promise also included the killing of 10s of thousands of
criminals. Duterte’s election led to the infamous war on drugs and eventually, overcrowded
prisons. Manila City Jail, the largest jail in the Philippines, is split into dorms that safely house 170
inmates. Currently, these dorms house around 500 people. Similarly, a room designated for 30
people holds about 130 in the Quezon City Jail. This severe overcrowding in prisons leads to
illness and death tolls in the thousands.

2. Pre-trial detainees – According to The World Prison Brief, 75.1% of incarcerations within the
Philippines’ incarceration system are pre-trial. In 2018, 141,422 of 188,278 prisoners were pre-
trial detainees. Unfortunately, many people are serving sentences without conviction. Pre-trial
detention is found in judicial systems all over the world. In countries like the Philippines, people
may serve time that outweighs their crimes. On average, prisoners in the Philippines are
detained for nine months without being sentenced.

3. High death tolls – About 5,200 inmates die annually at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
According to Ernesto Tamayo, the hospital medical chief, these deaths are due to overcrowding,
dirty living conditions and inmate violence. At a 2019 Philippines Senate hearing, Tamayo said
that there were “uncontrollable outbreaks of pulmonary tuberculosis.” In addition to
overcrowding, poor living conditions and inmate violence, NBP lacks nutritional food and basic
healthcare. On account of these living conditions, Tamayo reports that at least one prisoner dies
at NBP each day. Thankfully, politicians and prison employees are working to reduce
overcrowding in the Philippines’ prisons. Human rights advocates have also called for the release
of vulnerable inmates, hoping to protect them from poor living conditions.

4. Vigilante justice – Duterte’s war on drugs escalated during his presidency. Jobless citizens
were recruited to kill anyone suspected of dealing, buying or using drugs. This was one of few
ways for some people to make money; many homeless and impoverished people joined the
vigilante teams. In 2016, Duterte told the public, “If you know of any addicts, go ahead and kill
them yourself.” Together, the Philippines’ police force and unidentified gunmen have killed 7,000
known drug dealers and users since Duterte’s presidency in 2016. The Philippines’ war on drugs
has created the belief that extrajudicial violence and murder are necessary to fight crime. But,
the Human Rights Watch has turned the narrative around on Duterte; they are publicizing
information about the vigilante justice in the Philippines.

5. Corruption – In August 2018, the public learned a former mayor may have been released
from prison for good behavior. He was originally charged for rape and homicide in 1993. Similar
stories of corruption in the Philippines’ prisons continued to emerge. In September 2018, the
public learned that a woman was told her husband’s sentence would be shortened if she paid
50,000 pesos ($970). Later that year, senators stated that inmates could “live like kings” for a fee.
This information led to further allegations: prison workers and officials were taking bribes to
 bring and distribute contraband to inmates. The contraband in question included cigarettes,
cellphones and televisions. Supposedly, inmates can also pay for personal cooks and nurses.
Inmates who cannot afford a better life within the prison are stuck in overcrowded and dirty
rooms; these inmates have a higher rate of becoming ill and of death. Now that the corruption
has been unearthed, officials are taking steps to weed it out, one prison at a time.

But according to Marlee Ingram a possible fix is that with increased awareness of the Philippines’
prison system, there is hope that conditions will be improved and vigilante justice will end. It will
take time to fix the Philippines’ judicial and incarceration systems. However, with the help of
advocacy groups like the Human Rights Watch, a change could come sooner than expected.

2. To what extent do you feel that the purpose of punishment is to

(a) protect society, (b) punish criminals, or (c) rehabilitate and reform criminals?

Why? Answer in detail.

I think these 3 reasons (a) to protect society, (b) to punish criminals, (c) and to rehabilitate and reform
criminals are the purpose of the punishment. Because no person wants to live in a place where it is
not safe, and peaceful. These criminals had a choice to either do good or do bad, but they chose to do
what is not right, and what is immoral. I agree that criminals should be punished.

Reason (c) to rehabilitate and reform criminals. Yes, but due to the inconsistency of the Philippine
government on the incarceration system. Many criminals die inside the prison and not be given a
second chance. I do believe that criminals can be given a second chance. Just like God, when we
commit sin, God forgives. So, so are we. But there are criminals that are just not mentally capable of
changing and living a good and normal life. That is why we have a justice system. It is up to the Legal
System and the Judiciaries to decide on this. What the government should not fail to do is to carefully
rule when giving a sentence or an order.

The Incarceration System of the Philippines has a lot to work on. I agree that true criminals must
suffer. But those who are wrongfully convicted should not be part of that. I hope our government can
makes steps on how to make our justice system better, for the sake of the Philippine people. I hope
that our justice system will stop letting money involve in the discussions and decisions when it comes
to sentences and order. We have a long way to go. May God help us all.