QUALITY OF LIFE OF INMATES AND THEIR SELF-ESTEEM INSIDE THE

PANABO CITY JAIL

Researcher:

Kay R. Dumasig
 Abstract

Quality of life and self-esteem are the most commonly used self-
assessment outcome measures. Under the quality of life and knowing their self-
esteem is necessary to inform us on their current state inside the jail. Measuring
their quality of life and self-esteem can generate baseline data to create and
design appropriate and effective rehabilitation program. The satisfaction level on
the different domains of life of selected inmates of Panabo City Jail was
assessed to determine their quality of life and level of self-esteem using the self-
made questionnaire of the researchers. The descriptive survey was employed in
this study. Results revealed that majority of the respondents manifest excellent in
all domains of life – physical, spiritual, treatment of the BJMP Personnel, self-
acceptance, personal growth, and interpersonal relationship despite of the
condition that they were held captive in prison. There is no significant difference
between the quality of life of inmates and their self-esteem.

Keywords: quality of life, self-esteem

Chaptr 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Bakground of the Study

It cannot negate that hte fact ttha society is judged by how it treats its

prisoners and that the methods employed in the past were harsh in terms of

treatment of its prisoners. The quality of life of prisoners decreases once they’ve

been imprisoned. They live in misery because of the barbaric treatments given to

them by jail officers. They were treated as animals and are deprived of their

rights (Villaluz et. al., 2012). When quality of life of inmates drops because they

have been treated as objects and have no control over their daily lives, they feel

unworthy and useless. The pain of imprisonment seriously hurt the prisoner’s

social status as well as personality, setting up a serious attack on his self-

perception and self-esteem (Ringgaard, 2014).

As mentioned in the book of Villaluz et. al.,(2012) based on Geneva

Convention, prisoners are given proper treatments. Prisoners are entitled to a

well accommodation, personal hygiene, clothing and bedding, food, exercise and

sport, medical services and respect of one’s religious beliefs. All accommodation

provided for the use of prisoners and in particular all sleeping accommodation

shall meet all requirements of health, due regard being paid to climatic conditions

and particularly to cubic content of air, minimum floor space, lighting, heating and

ventilation. Prisoners are required to keep their persons clean and shall be

provided with water and such toilet articles. If these necessities where given to
them, their quality of life starts increase. People should be aware that prisoners

need to be reformed and not to be punished.

This study aimed to understand the quality of life of inmates and their self-

esteem inside the Panabo City Jail. The primary focus of this study is for us to be

knowledgeable about the status of the prisoners inside the incarceration, to know

how being incarcerated changed them and to better realized their life inside the

jail and to help generate appropriate programs based on their experiences inside

the prison cell. It is for this reason that the researchers inspired and motivated to

conduct this study to establish essential information about the prison inmate’s life

and eventually use the results in the formulation of effective strategies for

possible community extension program of the College of Criminology.

Statement of the Problem

This study determines the quality of life of inmates and their self –esteem

inside the Panabo City Jail. It attempts to respond to the following questions:

1. Determine the level quality of life inmates and their self-esteem inside Panabo

City Jail in terms of the following:

1.1 Physical

1.2 Spiritual

1.3 Treatment of the BJMP Personnel

2. What is the level of self-esteem of inmates inside the Panabo City Jail in

terms of the following:

2.1 Self-Acceptance
 2.2Personal Growth

2.3 Interpersonal Relationship

3. Is there any important relationship in the quality of life and self-esteem of

inmates in the Panabo City Jail?

Hypotihesis

This study is formulated and was tested at 0.0 5 level of significance in

which expressed that there is no significandum difference in the quality of life of

inmates and their self –esteem inside the Panabo City Jail.

Review of Related Literature

This section includes review of books, magazines, journals, newspaper,

and internal articles related to a certain degree to the area of investigation to give

the reader a clear understanding of the nature of the study.

Panganiban (2005), said that the traditional concept of prison being a

place for punishment and making prisoners work at hard labor has been replaced

by present concept that losses the loss of liberty by confinement in an institution

constitutes the penalty. While the penalty is being served in prison, there should

be carried an intensive program of training and treatment aimed at the ultimate

rehabilitation of the inmate confined therein.

Additionally, a prison should be diversified by the institution. This

arrangement provided proper segregation of groups by institution. Actually, few

prison system come up to this standard. Since arrangement requires a big

budgetary outlay, so that bigger institutions can be broken into smaller units. The
purpose of segregation is to prevent or physical contamination of one group by

another and to prevent unnecessary custodial risks. Therefore, it is necessary

that the first offender be kept separately from recidivist and habitual delinquents;

that sentenced prisoners and detention inmates occupy separate units; and that

those undergoing disciplinary punishments must be segregated. The movement

of prisoners as well as workers prisoners time through lack of proper educational

and recreational programs; standard food services and failure to meet modern

standards of management and nutrition; inadequate medical services; lack of

uniform records and statistics; and lastly politically motivated.

Medical services shall be available in every institution. Sick prisoners who

require special treatment shall be treated accordingly. Hospital facilities must

have a sufficient equipment, supplies, suitable staff and trained officers for the

proper medical care and treatment. Inmates shall be treated in a way that they

will be encourage self-respect and develop their sense of responsibility ( Villaluz,

et al., 2012).

As stated in the article Philippines: Improving health monitoring for

inmates in Navotas jail (2016), the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology

(BJMP) and the ICRC worked together to strengthen the health monitoring

system in seven pilot jails by introducing inmate health cards. The systematic use

of inmate health cards enables jail staff to keep track of detainees' health-care

needs, facilitating consultations and referrals for treatment at external facilities.

Containing the inmate's medical history, his dental records, the details of his

medical consultations, and a health screening checklist, the inmate health card
keeps track of the detainee's health status from the moment he is detained until

his release. Along with implementing the health monitoring system, the BJMP

has been providing on-the-job training for jail nurses – in terms of medical checks

upon arrival and the use of inmate health cards – to help ailing detainees receive

prompt medical attention. The ICRC has provided furniture for the BJMP to

organize its files.

In addition, the health monitoring system represents a big step forward in

collecting reliable and accurate information on the main diseases or causes of

death in the jail, which now has a total population of nearly 600. The system has

shown enhanced delivery of quality health services: consultation rates have

increased, emergency referrals have dropped, and the supply of medicines has

become sufficient. It's all because there is an effective monitoring system in

place.

In the Philippines, jail inmates were tremendously suffering from health

problems and sanitation. As cited by the Asian Human Rights Commission

(2008), the condition of all prisoners whether they have been convicted of a

crime or not, are pitiful. Inside the jail, life is unbelievably difficult. Food is always

wanting both in quality and quantity; and inmates are treated worse than animals.

Sometimes they are given food rations but the rice that is served smells spoiled

and the plate it is served on, too small but not really clean. Often, the same food

is served over and over again. In the morning, small dried fish; in the afternoon,

small and thin slices of fried fish; in the evening, vegetable soup that looks and

tastes awfully like the food fed to pigs. If one became sick no one really took any
notice. If the prisoners have a fever, the jail guardswould not give any medicine.

The prisoner would simply have to wait until some visitor came to air his

grievances.

As stated to the Justice Department Report (2009), a report on the

department’s investigation, released Monday and dated September 11, said that

Orleans Parish Prison doesn’t adequately protect inmates from excessive force

by staff and physical harm from other inmates. However, the investigation also

concluded that inmates aren’t receiving adequate mental health care and face

health risks from unsafe and unsanitary conditions, including broken toilets, mice

and cockroaches as well as “obvious electrical hazards”.

Accordingly, Kollie (2009), enumerated the items donated by Prison

Fellowship Liberia, included one hundred beds and mattresses, one hundred

lockers, bed sheets, towel, bed covers, and five computers. The items are

intended for the Monrovia Prison and the Kakata Prison centers. He put the total

value of the items at 250 thousand United States dollars and said such donation

was made possible by the Swedish Army. He also disclosed that a three to five-

foot container will shortly arrive in Liberia with equipment to improve the prison’s

agricultural program. He said that agricultural program is

intended to provide surplus food to prisoners and teach them how to undertake

agricultural activities after their prison tenure.

Further added, Prison Fellowship Executive Director confirmed that

inmates at various prison centers lack sanitation, health, food and other basic

necessities. He also said prisons are overcrowded as a result of delay in the

country’s justice system and as such inmates are not properly catered to, which

according to him is a complete violation of the rights of inmates and therefore

urged government to improve these conditions. In addition, he commented on the

Nairobi Convention, signify that the prison centers should not be a place for

punishment but rather a place of peace and productivity aimed at becoming self-

reliant and productive in the society after serving their prison tenure.

Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor (2007), said that the

condition of well-being of inmates were rudimentary and sometimes hard.

Provincial jails and prisons were overcrowded, lacked basic infrastructure, and

provided prisoners with an inadequate diet. Prison administrator budgeted a daily

subsistence allowance of about P40 per prisoner. Prison inmates often depended

on their families for food because of the insufficient subsistence allowance and

the need to bribe guards to receive food rations. The slow judicial process

exacerbated the problem of overcrowding. Some inmates took turns sleeping.

Some prison wardens reportedly allowed wives or children to move in with

inmates or stay in the prison compound because they could help feed the

prisoners. Lack of potable water and poor ventilation continued to cause health

problems in jails.

However, The Human Rights in China (2004), the general conditions of

detention that prevail at Chifeng prison are excessively poor and marked by ill-

treatment and pervasive brutality. All prisoners engage in grueling workloads up

to 16 hours a day, seven days a week. Food and health care are patently

inadequate. Without any effective avenue for complaint and no exterior

supervision, prisoners at Chifeng are reportedly subjected to a vast repertoire of

disciplinary punishments. In addition to the ubiquitous use of electric batons by

guards, customary punishment imposed on prisoners reportedly include being

made to be stand firm extended periods in uncomfortable and painful positions,

being chained upright to a metal door for excruciating lengths of time, and being

sent to a cell with dimensions too small to allow the prisoner lie down. The

system of pervasive brutality is entrenched by the notorious “cell boss” system, in

which certain criminal detainees are specifically appointed by prison officials to

enforce discipline –often violently-among fellow prisoners.

Boyden (2009), stated that spelled out that while many people have no

sympathy for prisoners, what’s often overlooked is that all prisoners are not the

same. One of the ways that can help improve their quality of life is to provide

spiritual counseling. Many churches have connections to local jails and are

always looking for volunteers to visit prisoners as spiritual counselors. If you’re

religious and want to keep an inmate’s faith strong, contact your parish and find

out how you can help.

According to Skoglund(2007) that prison officers' attitudes towards prison

inmates are important. Positive attitudes held by prison officers have been shown

to be critical in facilitating change prior to successful release from prison. Prison

officers are in day-to-day interaction with the inmates and in this unique situation

they have the power to enhance or undermine the primary goals of the

correctional institution where they work. The prison officers' work situation has

been described as psychosocially taxing. Negative attitudes have been

demonstrated in some studies. Prison officers have even been described as

cynical, authoritarian and pessimistic. Some seem to hold the view that the

correctional facilities' main objective is to offer passive storage of criminals rather

than to promote rehabilitation and prevention. Such negative attitudes seem to

be more common in correctional facilities with little focus on rehabilitation than in

institutions with a strong focus on such goals.

In addition, the inmates' attitudes towards their fellow prisoners, and

indeed the inmates' attitudes toward themselves, i.e. their self-esteem, are

important, because these attitudes are likely to influence the way prisoners

respond to the correctional regime and the over-all effectiveness of the various

rehabilitation programs offered. Whether rehabilitation will be successful will also

depend upon the attitudes held by the population into which the prisoner will be

released.

Self-esteem is a widely used concept both in popular language and in

psychology. It refers to an individual’s sense of his or her value or worth, or the

extent to which a person values, approves of, appreciates, prizes, or likes him or

herself. Self-esteem is seen in every part of human life. Much of what people do

as humans is a direct result of how they see themselves (Mac Arthur, 2004).

Furthermore, most inmates desire to change and held positive attitudes,

especially feelings of high self-esteem. Thus the vast majority of incarcerated

inmates engage in self-help programs and work hard at improving their

situations. Even the most difficult and challenging offenders are encourage to be
interested in making productive use of their time while confined and hope and

excitement in solid institutional self-help programs (Carlson, 2009).

Obadoria (2016) stated that sport and physical activities participation of

inmates in Nigeria offers a multitude of benefits, including enhanced physical

fitness, increased social support networks, elevated positive affective states, and

the development of perceptions of competence and enjoyment. Given these

benefits, there is a potential for the development of positive psychological growth,

personal growth and self- esteem through sport and physical activity. For these

reasons, sport and physical activity participation has been recommended as a

way to enhance overall quality of life in various populations.

Kernis (2006) stated that high self-esteem of which self-acceptance is a

significant part, is the pre-requisites in building a happy, honest and open

relationships with others. Without it, individuals will deliberately hold themselves

back, in fear of being rejected when others find out what they were really like.

Thus without high self-esteem, deep and meaningful relationship, which depend

on open communication are not possible. In addition, self-acceptance and growth

begins when the individual with low self-esteems acknowledges their feelings

about themselves to others. If the response is supportive, encouraging and

accepting, it will, over time, result in the confiding individual acquiring increased

confidence, increased self-esteem and thus increased self-acceptance.

As cited by Redenbach (2005), those who have higher personal growth

incline to feel more confident in contrast, those who lack confidence in

themselves achieve less. In addition, gender is the important factor which

influence on the growth, emerges and demonstration of self-esteem. Numerous

differences have been found between males and females in the level of their self-

esteem during adolescence because they tend to adapt to gender stereotypes.

Specifically, male self-esteem are thought to be more impressed by goals

characterized by independence and autonomy, while self-esteem in female is

more influenced by goals related to interdependence and sensitivity.

Kerly and Copes (2009) examined the importance of supportive peer

groups among inmates. Inmates emphasized their need for positive interactions

with other inmates. By associating with religious peers and sharing experiences,

inmates reported that they were able to avoid the negative influences of prison.

In addition, inmates who enjoyed strong and consistent family support, either

through family visits, letters, and financial assistance, maintained a high level of

self-esteem. These group of inmates has inner motivation and has greater life

capital that drives them to have positive mind in the prison (Lafferty, 2015).

The related literatures in this study help the researchers in determination

of the variables and in the construction and development of researcher’s

questionnaire. Also, concept taken from related studies were relevant to the

determination of the level of quality of life of inmates and their self-esteem inside

the Panabo City Jail.

Theoritical and Conceptual Framework

This research is pointed out on the study of quality of life by Maslow

(1962) expressed that the level of hierarchical need of people in a society is

characterized in terms of satisfaction. Consequently, the higher the need of

satisfaction in a certain society is also the greater the quality of life of that

people. Furthermore, every inmate are also given an attention and basic needs

to ascertain satisfaction.

The stated theory is supported by Carl Rogers (1959) expressed that the

greater the quality of life of an individual the higher that individual’s self-esteem

which means that a person needs a greater environment that provide

genuineness’ to achieve their goals with a higher self-trust. In addition, for a

person to grow, they need a setting that provides them with self-acceptance,

personal growth and interpersonal relationship.

Figure 1 represents the theoretical framework of the study. The

independent variable is the quality of life indicated by the following. Physical

which refers to a body concerned with or affecting physical as discrete from

intellectual or psychological well-being. Next is, spiritual which refers to the ability

integrate experience and purpose in life through a person's connectedness with

self, others or a power greater than oneself. Last is, Treatment of BJMP

personnel refers to the manner in which BJMP personnelbehaves toward or

deals with someone. The dependent variable is the self-esteem with following

indicators.
Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Quality of Life Self-Esteem

 Physical  Self-Acceptance
 Spiritual  Personal Growth
 Treatment of the BJMP  Interpersonal
Personnel Relationship

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework Showing the Variables of the Study

Self-acceptance which refers to an individual's satisfaction or happiness with

oneself. Followed by, personal growth which refers to an activities that improve

awareness and identity, and enhance the quality of life and contribute to the

realization of hopes. Lastly, interpersonal relationship which refers to a social

connections between two or more people.

Significance of the Study

The results of the study will be helpful to the following:

The Local Government Unit of Panabo City. This research will help the

local government unit in terms of providing inmates needs such as; proper

hygiene and sanitation and giving assistance to their health conditions inside the

Panabo City Jail.

BJMP Personnel. This would serve as a guide for criteria for good

management, positive treatment to inmates, diversion of the acutely ill and the

importance of segregation by age and sex.

Community. This would serve and help the community to understand the

situation of inmates and the importance of accepting them back in the

community.

Criminology Students. The result would serve as information to the

students that being incarcerated is difficult. It would also help them treat the
prisoners and provide good management if they desire to become a member of

BJMP.

Future Researchers. This would help future researcher in their conduct of

a new study about the quality of life of inmates and their self-esteem.

Definition of Terms

The positions used in the study are opirateonally defined.

Inmates. A person being deprived of his or her liberty against his or her

free will. This person is most commonly confined in a prison. They most

commonly need to be rehabilitated.

Quality of life. Refer in this study as a status of inmates inside the prison

cell. The ability of inmates to enjoy life activities inside jail and perceived quality

of an individual’s life as an assessment of their well-being or lack thereof. It is

also used to evaluate the general well-being of individual sense of happiness,

emotional stability, and health care.

Self-esteem. Refers to a feeling of inmates about themselves.It is

anemotional evaluation of a person of his/her own worth. It is also used as an

influential predictor of certain outcomes such as criminal behavior.

 Chapter 2

METHOD

In this chapter the research design, research subjects, research

instruments, data gathering procedure and statistical treatment of data are

presented.

Research Design

Descriptive-correlational was used in this research. According to Calmorin

(1995), a descriptive design especially of the correlational technique is used to

identify the connection between the two variables. Padua (1995) also added that

this design also estimates the extremity of the relationship of the variables to one

another in the interest of the population. This design will be fit for the study to

determine the quality of life of inmates and their self-esteem inside the Panabo

City Jail.

Research Subject

This study utilized the inmates of Panabo City Jail as the respondents and

questionnaires were given to them to provide the data needed in the study. The
researcher used the purposive sampling technique. There are 150 out of 461

inmates was retrieved and responded. The study was during the month of

August, 2017. The questionnaire was distributed through the help of jail officers

and inmate’s trustee. The researchers were given five days and thirty inmates

each day to answer the questionnaires.

Shown in Table 1 are the respondent’s profile in relation to their age, sex

and length of stay. Male inmates have a frequency of 118 or 78.7 percent

and the female inmates have a frequency of 32 or 21.3 percent. As cited by

Ossai (2004) that sex has a relationship because being male and female has a

difference when it comes to the development of their personality. The population

of female inmates is lower than male inmates because men are more prone to

temptations and more aggressive than females. Unlike females, males are less

talkers. They tend to keep their problems by themselves. Because of emotional

stress and lack of good communication, they would end up diverting their

attention in other ways like drinking or taking drugs thinking that it can help them

forget their problems. These behavior leads them to commit illegal acts.

Table 1. Profile of the Respondents

Profile Variables F %

Sex

Male 118 78.7

Female 32 21.3

Age

18-25 34 22.7
 26-35 70 46.7

36-45 42 28.0

46 and above 4 2.7

Length of Stay

1 month and 1 day to 6 months 25 16.7

6 months and 1 day to 3 years 98 65.3

3 years and above 27 18.0

Furthermore, female has two years personality growth than male. In

terms of age, majority of inmates having an age of 26-35 years of age has the

frequency of 70 or 46.7 percent, inmates who has the frequency of 42 or 28.0

percent has the age of 36-45 years of age, 18-25 years of age has a frequency of

34 or 22.7 percent, and 46 years old and above with a frequency of 4 or 2.7

percent. As stated by Elliot (2000) that age has a significant relationship since

the higher the age the higher the capability of understanding. Specifically, with

regards to the quality of environment and the level of self-confidence of an

individual. In terms to the length of stay of inmates majority responded with a

length of stay of 6 months and 1 day to 3 years with a frequency of 98 or 65.3

percent, 3 years and above with a frequency of 27 or 18.0 percent, and 1 month

and 1 day to 6 months with a frequency of 25 or 16.7 percent. According to Uysal

(2005), that length of stay has relationship considering that the longer an inmate

stays in the jail, the higher the level of realization, for it has a big impact to them

to change for the betterment.

Research Instrument

There were three sets of questionnaire utilized with three parts used in

the gathering of data. Part I of the questionnaire is the profile of inmates which

constitutes the age, sex, and length of stay. Part II of the questionnaire focused

on the quality of life of inmates which constitutes three indicators namely:

physical, spiritual and treatment of BJMP personnel. Part III dealt with the self-

esteem of inmates of which the three indicators are self-acceptance, personal

growth and interpersonal relationship.The questionnaire was submmitted to the

validator for possible correction as well as consulting panel of validators to attest

its validity. The questionnaire given is a self-made questionnaire given to the

respondents during the conduct of the study.

The following scale is for the interpretation of data for the level of quality of

life of inmates inside the Panabo City Jail:

Range of Mean Descriptive Descriptive Interpretation

Level

4.21 – 5.00 Very High This indicates that the inmate’s under the
custody of Panabo City Jail perceive
anexcellentlevel of quality of life.

3.40 – 4.20 High This indicates that the inmate’s under the
custody of Panabo City Jail perceive a
very satisfactory level of quality of life.

2.60 – 3.39 Moderate This indicates that the inmate’s under the
custody of Panabo City Jail perceive a
satisfactorylevel of quality of life.
 1.80 – 2.59 Low This indicates that the inmate’s under the
custody of Panabo City Jail perceive a
poorlevel of quality of life.

1.0 – 1.79 Very Low This indicates that the inmate’s under the
custody of Panabo City Jail perceive a
very poorlevel of quality of life.

The following scale for the interpretation of data for the level of self-

esteem of inmates inside the Panabo City Jail is:

Range of Mean Descriptive Descriptive Interpretation

Level

4.21 – 5.00 Viry Hegh It indicates that the inmate’s under the
custody of Panabo City Jail perceive an
excellentlevel of self-esteem.
3.40 – 4.20 High

This indicates that the inmate’s under the

custody of Panabo City Jail perceive a
very

satisfactory level ofself-esteem.

2.60 – 3.39 Modirite This indicates that the inmate’s under the
custody of Panabo City Jail perceive a
satisfactory level ofself-esteem.

1.80 – 2.59 Law This indicates that the inmate’s under the
custody of Panabo City Jail perceive a
poor levelof self-esteem.
 1.0 – 1.79 Viry Luw This indicates that the inmate’s under the
custody of Panabo City Jail perceive a
very poorlevel of self-esteem.

Data Gathering Procedure

The succeeding steps were utilized by the researcher in collecting the

data.

1. Seeking Permission to Conduct the Study. Consent to conduct was

requested from Dr. Carmelita B. Chavez, the Dean of the College of Criminal

Justice Education, University of Mindanao, Davao City through a formal

communication.

2. Administration and Retrieval of Questionnaire. After the formal

communication was approved, it was immediately brought by the researcher to

the office of J/SINSP Jul Akbar L. Jamiri, Jail Warden of Panabo City Jail. The

researcher sought assistance from the BJMP personnel so that the questionnaire

will be administered. After the respondents had completely answered the

questionnaires, the BJMP personnel help the researcher retrieved the

questionnaire.
 3. Collation, Tabulation of data. Right after the data was gathered by the

researcher, it was presented to statistician for decoding the computer output and

for analyzing of data.

Statistical Treatment of Data

To answer the specific problem of the study, the following statistical

treatment were employed.

Frequency counts and percentage distribution. This was utilized as a

part of the profiling of the respondents by age, sex, and length of stay.

Mean. This was utilized to identify the critical contrast of the level of

quality of life of inmates in terms of Physical well-being, Spiritual being and

treatment of BJMP personnel. And the significant difference level of self-esteem

inside the Panabo City Jail in terms of Self-acceptance, Personal growth,

Relationship with others.

Pearson r. This was utilized to identify the connection among the quality

of life of inmates and their self-esteem inside the Panabo City Jail. The

coefficient of the correlation (r) was also used to determine the degree of

relationship between each indicator in the quality of life and their self-esteem.
 Chapter 3

PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS

This cha pter presents the results and analysis of the statistics gathered.

This includes the quality of life, the extent to which being incarcerated influence

the self-esteem of inmates, and the significant relationship between the quality of

life and self-esteem of inmates inside the Panabo City jail.

Level of Quality of life of inmates inside the Panabo City Jail

The level of the quality of life of inmates in Panabo City Jail is analyze to

determine and understand the life they have inside the jail and how being

incarcerated changed their life. It is also emphasize in this study that standard

deviation equivalents of mean scores were presented to determine the variability

of the data sets and this determines the more uniform method of determining the

relevance of the inmate’s responses.

Shown in Table 2 are the mean scores for the indicators of quality of life of

inmates with the inclusive mean of 4.36 labeled as very high and with the

customary deviation of 0.474. The high level could be attributed to the high rating

given by the respondents in the three indicators. This means that the

respondents’ responses to the quality of life of inmates were positive in majority

in the items of physical, spiritual, and treatment of the BJMP Personnel. The

cited overall mean score was the result gathered from the following computed

mean scores from the highest to lowest spiritual with the mean of 4.68 or very

high, Treatment of the BJMP Personnel with the mean

Table 2. Level of the Quality of Life of Inmates

Indicators x SD
Physical 4.02 0.714

Spiritual 4.68 0.487

Treatment of BJMP Personnel 4.37 0.650

Overall 4.36 0.474

of 4.37 or very high, physical with the mean of 4.02 or high.

It might be well-known from the data that the spiritual aspect of the

inmates obtained a highest mean rating of 4.68 or viry hegh with a customary

deviance of 0.487. This implies that the inmates attentively attended mass

weekly; shares spiritual beliefs with other inmates; and respect others belief.

Though, others may overlook that all prisoners are the same, they discovered a
way that can help the quality of life of inmates improved by means of providing a

spiritual counseling. Many churches have connections in local jails and are

always looking for volunteers to visit prisoners to be a spiritual counselors

(Boyden, 2009).

The next indicator on the level of quality of life of inmates with the very

high level is the Treatment of the BJMP Personnel with a mean rating of 4.37 and

standard deviation of 0.650. This implies that the prisoners found the jail officers

approachable, listens and takes notice of prisoner’s suggestions and complaints,

gives helpful answers to the prisoners questions, and talks to the prisoners

during association. Thus, prison officers' attitudes towards prison inmates are

important. Positive attitudes held by prison officers have been shown to be

critical in facilitating change prior to successful release from prison.

Prison officers are in day-to-day interaction with the inmates and in

this unique situation they have the power to enhance or undermine the primary

goals of the correctional institution where they work (Skoglund et.al., 2007).

Physical is another domain that has a high level of quality of life of

inmates. It is indicated that the prisoner’s physical aspect manifest a very

satisfactory level of quality of life with a mean rating of 4.02 and standard

deviation of 0.714. It implies that the inmates were served enough and nutritious

food, that their cell is well ventilated, they had monthly check-up, they were

provided of their clothing, and allows them to rest and give medicine when they

were sick. Furthermore, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP)

and the ICRC worked together to strengthen the health monitoring system in
seven pilot jails by introducing inmate health cards. The systematic use of inmate

health cards enables jail staff to keep track of detainees' health-care needs,

facilitating consultations and referrals for treatment at external facilities.

Containing the inmate's medical history, his dental records, the details of his

medical consultations, and a health screening checklist, the inmates health card

keeps track of the detainee’s health status from the moment he is detained until

his release (Article Philippines: Improving Health Monitoring For Inmates in

Navotas Jail 2016).

Level of Self-esteem of Inmates inside the Panabo City Jail

Shown in table 3 is the level of self-esteem of inmates inside the Panabo

City Jail based on the result of their responses to the question. The overall mean

score was 4.44 labeled as viry high with the customary deviance of 0.434. This

mens that the respondents’ responses were all positive in self-acceptance,

personal growth, and interpersonal relationship.

The cited overall mean was the result gathered from the following

Table 3. Level of Self-esteem of Inmates

Indicators x SD
Self-acceptance 4.49 0.529

Personal Growth 4.56 0.448

Interpersonal Relationship 4.30 0.546

Overall 4.44 0.434

computed mean scores from highest to lowest in the self-esteem indicators:

personal growth with the mean of 4.56 or very high self-acceptance with the
mean of 4.49 or very high, and interpersonal relationship with the mean of 4.30

or very high. The main indicator with the highest level of mean was on personal

growth. This showed that the respondents perceived an excellent level of self-

esteem.

To give emphasis the data for the self-esteem of inmates, the indicator

that had the highest mean rating of 4.56 or described as very high and having

customary deviance of 0.448 is personal growth. On the contrary, the indicator

with the lowest mean rating of 4.30 in the standard deviation of 0.546 is

interpersonal relationship.

It might be distinguished from the data that the personal growth of the

inmates obtained a highest mean rating of 4.56 or very high with a standard

deviation of 0.448. This value is obtained from the itemized responses with the

mean of 4.51 or very high for they can enhance their skills and talents by joining

activities in prison, 4.49 or very high for they are capable of overcoming their day

to day activities, 4.59 or very high for they develop good behavior in the prison

cell by helping other inmates and prison staff, 4.62 or very high for learning to

handle themselves and grow as a better person in the prison, 4.57 or very high

for motivating themselves by thinking positive outcomes. Most inmates desire to

change and held positive attitudes, especially feelings of high self-esteem. Thus

the vast majority of incarcerated inmates engages in self-help programs and

work hard at improving their situations. Even the most difficult and challenging

offenders are encourage to be interested in making productive use of their time

while confined and hope and excitement in solid institutional self-help programs

(Carlson et. al., 2009).

The next indicator on the self-esteem of inmates with the very high level is

the self-acceptance with a mean rating of 4.49 and standard deviation of 0.529.

This rating is derived from the mean scores of the questions given with the mean

of 4.50 or very high for taking positive attitude towards themselves and recognize

their qualities, 4.49 or very high for feeling that they are a person of worth, on an

equal plane with others, 4.41 or very high for not shy of self-conscious, 4.23 or

very high for they don’t worry or condemn themselves if other people pass

judgement against them, 4.61 or very high for learning to value themselves by

accepting their mistakes. Self-acceptance and growth begins when the individual

with low self-esteems acknowledges their feelings about themselves to others. If

the response is supportive, encouraging and accepting, it will, over time, result in

the confiding individual acquiring increased confidence increased self-esteem

and thus increased self-acceptance (Kernis 2006).

The interpersonal relationship is another indicator of self-esteem of the

inmates has the overall mean of 4.30 and standard deviation of 0.546. This value

is obtained based on the itemized responses of the inmates with the mean of

4.43 or very high for it’s easy for them to become emotionally close to others,

4.27 or very high for they are comfortable getting close to others, 4.28 or very

high for they are willing to share responsibilities to others, 4.09 or high for they

find it easy to trust other completely, 4.45 or very high for they let themselves

share their own opinions and feelings to others. Inmates emphasized their need
for positive interactions with other inmates. By associating with religious peers

and sharing experiences, inmates reported that they were able to avoid the

negative influences of prison. In addition, inmates who enjoyed strong and

consistent family support, either through family visits, letters, and financial

assistance, maintained a high level of self-esteem. This group of inmates has

inner motivation and has greater life capital that drivesthem to have positive mind

in the prison (Lafferty et. al., 2015).

Significance Relationship between the Level of Quality of Life of Inmates

and the Self-esteem of Inmates

The important purpose of this study was to determine whether the quality

of life of inmates have significant relationship with the self-esteem of inmates

results of the computation are shown in Table 4.

Scrutinizing further the data, self-acceptance is correlated to physical with

computed r-value of .379 and p<.000, which means that self-acceptance of

inmates correlates to the physicalof inmates Kernis (2006) stated that high self-

esteem of which self-acceptance is a significant part, is the pre-requisites in

building a happy, honest and open relationships with others.

Personal-growth is correlated to physical with the computed r-value

of .239 and p-value of .003, which means those who have higher personal

growth incline to feel more confident in contrast, those who lack confidence in

themselves achieve less (Redenbach 2005).

Table 4.

Significance relationship between the level of quality of life of inmates and the
Self-esteem of inmates
 Quality of life
Physical Spiritual Treatment of Overall
Self-Esteem
BJMP
Personnel
Self-acceptance .379** .410** .367** .499**

Personal Growth .239** .537** .412** .492**

Interpersonal
.261** .326** .392** .421**
Relationship
Overall .346** .488** .455** .548**

Interpersonal relationship is correlated to physical with the computed r-

value of .261 and p-value of .001, examined the importance of supportive peer

groups among inmates. Inmates emphasized their need for positive interactions

with other inmates. By associating with religious peers and sharing experiences,

inmates reported that they were able to avoid the negative influences of prison

(Kerly and Copes 2009).

The overall correlation of physical gained a computed r-value of .346 and

p-value of .000 expressed that the greater the quality of life of an individual the

higher that individual’s self-esteem which means that a person needs a greater

environment that provide genuineness’ to achieve their goals with a higher self-

trust (Carl Rogers 1959).

Self-acceptance is correlated to spiritual with computed r-value of .410

and p-value of .000, most inmates desire to change and held positive attitudes,

especially feelings of high self-esteem. Thus the vast majority of incarcerated

inmates engage in self-help programs like religious activities and work hard at

improving their situations (Carlson et. al., 2009).

 Personal-growth is correlated to spiritual with the computed r-value of .537

anrd p-value of .000, the important factor which influence on the growth, emerges

and demonstration of self-esteem of a person is spiritual aspect (Renderbach

2005) thus, one of the ways that can help improve their quality of life is to provide

spiritual counseling (Boyden 2009).

Interpersonal relationship is correlated to spiritual with the computed r-

value of .326 and p-value of .000, the inmates' attitudes towards their fellow

prisoners, and indeed the inmates' attitudes toward themselves, i.e. their self-

esteem, are important, because these attitudes are likely to influence the way

prisoners respond to the correctional regime and the over-all effectiveness of the

various religious activities (Skoglund, et. al., 2007).

The overall correlation of spiritual gained a computed r-value of .488 and

p-value of .000, this implies the rehabilitation program transformed imprisoned

inmates recovering spiritually.

Self-acceptance is correlated to treatment of BJMP Personnel with the

computed r-value of .367 and p-value of .000,positive attitudes held by prison

officers have been shown to be critical in facilitating change prior to successful

release from prison (Skoglund, et. al., (2007) thus prison officers encourage to

help prisoners to be interested in making productive use of their time while

confined and hope and excitement in solid institutional self-help programs

(Carlson, et. al., 2009).

Personal growth is correlated to treatment of BJMP Personnel with the

computed r-value of .412 and p-value of .000, there is a potential for the
development of positive psychological growth, personal growth and self- esteem

through sport and physical activity. For these reasons, sport and physical activity

participation has been recommended as a way to enhance overall quality of life

in various populations (Obadoria, 2016).

Interpersonal is correlated to treatment of BJMP Personnel with the

computed r-value of .392 and p-value of .000, the importance of supportive peer

groups among inmates is to enhance their interpersonal relationship not limited

to the inmates but also in the prison officers (Kerly and Copes 2009). These

group of inmates has inner motivation and has greater life capital that drives

them to have positive mind in the prison (Lafferty, et. al., 2015).

The overall correlation of treatment of BJMP Personnel gained a

computed r-value of .455 and p-value of .000, which meansthat prison officers'

attitudes towards prison inmates are important. Positive attitudes held by prison

officers have been shown to be critical in facilitating change prior to successful

release from prison. Prison officers are in day-to-day interaction with the inmates

and in this unique situation they have the power to enhance or undermine the

primary goals of the correctional institution where they work. (Skoglund, et. al.,

2007).

The overall correlation of self-acceptance gained a computed computedr-

value of .499 and p-value of .000, deep and meaningful relationship, which

depend on open communication are not possible, self-acceptanceacknowledges

their feelings about themselves to others. If the response is supportive,

encouraging and accepting, it will, over time, result in the confiding individual
acquiring increased confidence, increased self-esteem and thus increased self-

acceptance (Kernis 2006).

The overall correlation of personal growth gained a computed computedr-

value of .492 and p-value of .000,those who have higher personal growth incline

to feel more confident in contrast, those who lack confidence in themselves

achieve less (Redenbach, 2005).

The overall correlation of interpersonal relationship gained a computed

computedr-value of .421 and p-value of .000,inmates who enjoyed strong and

consistent family support, either through family visits, letters, and financial

assistance, maintained a high level of self-esteem. These group of inmates has

inner motivation and has greater life capital that drives them to have positive

mind in the prison (Lafferty, et. al., 2015).

The correlation between the quality of life and self-esteem of inmates in

Pnabo City Jails yields an overall r-value of 5.548 with the p-value of .000, which

means the greater the quality of life of an individual the higher that individual’s

self-esteem which means that a person needs a greater environment that provide

genuineness’ to achieve their goals with a higher self-trust. In addition, for a

person to grow, they need a setting that provides them with self-acceptance,

personal growth and interpersonal relationship (Carl Rogers, 1959). Implies that

there is insignificant connection between the quality of life and self-esteem of

inmates.
 Chapter 4

SUMARY,CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This section presents the summary of results, inference and the

recommendations drawn by the researchers from the result gained.

Summary

The purpose of this research is to know how being imprisoned changed

the inmates and to better realized the inmates status inside the jail. A total of 150

respondents which were randomly selected from the Panabo City Jail and

considered as the source of primary data. The study utilized a validated, self-

made research instrument which intends to assess the respondents’ status inside

the Panabo City Jail as to the physical, spiritual, treatment of the BJMP
Personnel, self-acceptance, personal growth and interpersonal relationship. In

the analysis of the data, weighted mean and tests of relationship (Bivariate

Correlation) were used.

The findings obtained are as follows:

1. Of the three areas in the quality of life, physical, spiritual, treatment of

BJMP personnel perceived an excellent level of quality of life.

2. Of the three areas of self-esteem, self- acceptance, personal growth,

interpersonal relationship perceived an excellent level of self-esteem.

3. No significant relationship was found on the level of the quality of life

and the level of self-esteem. Thus, null hypothesis is rejected in terms of

physical, spiritual, treatment of the BJMP personnel, self-acceptance, personal

growth and interpersonal relationship with others.

Conclusions

Based on the results, the following conclusions were drawn:

1. The quality of life of inmates inside the Panabo City Jail in relation to

the physical, spiritual, and treatment of the BJMP personnel is very high

2. The self-esteem of inmates inside the Panabo City Jail in relation to the

self-acceptance, personal growth, and interpersonal relationship is very high.

3. The researchers then conclude that there is no significant relationship

between the quality of life of inmates and their level of self-esteem.

Recommendation

Established on the results and conclusions of the research, the following

recommendations were presented:

1. The Lo cal Govern ment Unit in Panabo City may continue to provide

the basic needs of an inmates for a neat and clean environment like clothing,

beddings and toiletries for them to feel comfortable.

2. The BJMP personnel continue encouraging the inmates to participate in

educational activities in order for them to have brighter future outside the jail and

for them to be able to have more potential in acquiring skills that they can use to

find stable and proper jobs.

3. The inmates may continue to participate the activities inside of the jail

for them to gain more knowledge and showcase their skills.

4. The community may continue to accept convicted offenders as a

productive member of the community after they have been released from the

correctional institutions in order for them to gain back the self-confidence they’ve

lost.

5. The criminology student shall develop awareness of what is happening

in our society nowadays. Specifically, inside the jail and the eminence of the

inmates.

6. To the future researchers; similar studies can be undertaken in a more

comprehensive and intensive focus on the factors that affect the quality of life

and self-esteem of the prison inmates with enough time and resources ready at
hand. In addition, it would be beneficial to consider the inmate’s criminal offense

in the future study.

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