CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM

Introduction

The Philippines, as one of the countries in Asia and of the world as a whole,

needs to have peace and order. However, because of different cultural influences,

societal problems and decay of moral standards, people forget and dismiss the

importance of peace and order in the country. It is observed that many people are

confronted by so many negative circumstances and factors resulting to their

commission of crimes and violation of laws.

This condition has greatly affected the progress of the country and other

innocent people. To control this malignant condition and to stop the people from

continuously doing crimes and other illegal acts, the jail was established by the

government.

The jail is an integral part of the criminal justice system although it might

be considered as a subsystem of the correction component. It plays a far more

important role than this classification would suggest. It is important as an indicator

of the interest and concern with justice punishment and rehabilitation expressed by

society and the local community. Crime rates arise gradually and progressively

with the altering range of minor citizen and higher age level from the highly

urbanized area down to remote ones. Crime is committed at any rate but being a
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prisoner does not mean that a person’s worlds stop upon his commission to the

penitentiary system (Soriano, 2004).

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) envisions itself to

formulate policies and guidelines in the administration of all district, city, and

municipal jails nationwide, implement strong security measures for the control of

inmates, provide for the basic needs of inmates, conduct activities for the

development of inmates, improve jail facilities, and promote the general welfare

and development of personnel.

According to Gregorio (1999), jail overcrowding is quickly becoming the

most serious issue facing criminal justice officials. Factors contributing to jail

overcrowding include mandatory jail sentences, increasing crime levels, delays in

litigation, communities opting to spend resources on projects other than new jail

construction or jail expansion, and limited ability to track jail population flows.

According to the National Institute of Corrections Information Center

(NICIC, 2001), the key to preventing overcrowding and managing jail populations

is to continuously collect, monitor, and analyze the admissions and length-of-stay

information that already exist in jail information systems. The key is to then share

the results with justice officials so they can better understand and manage the size

and character of their jail populations.

However, the mere fact that the number of detainees increases cannot be

denied. Of course, this condition leads to multiple problems like deprivation of

healthy environment that creates diseases among those people in the cell.
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According to Narag, the subhuman existence inmates were forced to endure

include: the stench, overcrowding, toilets that ran like rivers through the cells,

disease and death.

This draws attention of different non-government agencies to take action

and call on the government to do the same. Due to this undeniable situation, the

students under the Criminology program deemed it necessary to reach out to the

people they would serve when they become law enforcers in the future.

In a statement by Avelino Razon (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2006) of the

Philippines police, "The situation is not ideal. The jail management needs another

35,000 guards and support staff." This is to say that they admit they really cannot

handle the growing number of prisoners in the country. In line with it is that a

fiscal crisis arises as crime rate inflates.

The UN Standard of the Minimum Treatment of Prisoners, to which the

Philippine government is a signatory, gives clear guidelines on how prisoners

should be treated, including bedding and food, and states: "It is not desirable to

have two prisoners in a cell or room” (Morella, 2007).

Improvements were made in jail management to attain the acceptable

number of prison population. With the Oplan Decongestion Program, 6,807

inmates were released through various applicable laws and modes of release.

In the province of Batangas, the authority or the government aims to protect

the province from increase in crime rates and to maintain peace and order and set
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the people free from fear and worries due to criminalities happening in the

province and other neighboring provinces. The government established the

Batangas Provincial Jail in Cuta, Batangas City. The jail aims to enhance public

safety by providing humane safekeeping and development of detainees.

The researchers as criminology students wanted to work on this topic

because the condition of Batangas Provincial Jail and other penitentiaries in the

country are one of the major concerns in their field. With the existing studies

about the Philippine penitentiary conditions nationwide, it signifies that there is a

need to extend their help to the management of the jail for the prisoner’s benefit.

Statement of the Problem

The study aimed to evaluate the rehabilitation services in Batangas

Provincial Jail.

Specifically, this study sought answers to the following questions:

1. What is the quality of rehabilitation services provided in Batangas

Provincial Jail in terms of?

1.1. Health service;

1.2. Education and training;

1.3. Religious services, guidance and counseling services;

1.4. Recreation and sports program;

1.5. Work program;

2. What rehabilitation programs can be developed and implemented as

extension services by the College of Arts and Sciences

Significance of the Study

The provincial jail is one of the five (5) pillars of the justice system.

.Batangas Provincial Jail is directly under the office of the Provincial Government.

Even if it is under the office of the Provincial Government, all the rules and

regulation pertaining to the operation are based on the standard procedure of the

Department of Justice (DOJ).

Since the office of the Provincial Government and DOJ (Department of

Justice) are responsible for the Batangas Provincial Jail, this study would make

them aware of the condition of the jail. This knowledge can be applied through the

years of service in the government. Specifically, this study intended to benefit the

following:

The Batangas Provincial Jail administration, particularly the provincial jail

warden and his staff, for this will serve as a catalyst to have full awareness on the

status and condition of the Batangas Provincial Jail.

The local government can determine the conditions of Batangas Provincial

Jail and they can use the study to improve the management of the jail so that the

prisoners can have a better environment in the jail since it should be a place for

renewal and change. It is a concept that should be inculcated in every law maker in

order to obtain a peaceful and orderly society to live in.

An assessment on the status and condition of the Provincial Jail of Batangas

City can determine the needs of the detainees. Meanwhile, with the increased

awareness of the personnel, they can appropriately respond to the needs of the
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detainees, provide necessary services and give the detainees a worthwhile and

beneficial stay inside the jail.

The NGOs and other religious groups whose intention is to help the

prisoners in the jail can gain benefit from the study. They can use the findings of

this study as bases of giving help and religious assistance to the detainees.

Criminology students would be able to deeply understand their role and

responsibilities in their chosen profession. An early exposure to this knowledge in

the situation would inspire them to extend help.

The researchers, as criminology students, became interested to work on this

topic because they wanted to learn about the basic operations of jail management,

specifically, the condition of the Batangas Provincial Jail and state of inmates. On

a more practical level, they wanted to extend their help to the provincial jail

management for the improvement of the prisoners’ well-being.

The future researchers can use this study as sample research and use as

related literature for their own research.

Scope and Limitation

This study was limited to the condition of the Batangas Provincial Jail.