EFFECTIVENESS OF JAIL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS IN THE OVERCROWDING

ISSSUES

MARVIN
Batangas State University Main Campus I

Introduction

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) is an attached agency of the

Department of the Interior and Local Government DILG) mandated to direct, supervise and

control the administration and operation of all district, city and municipal jails in the Philippines

with pronged tasks of safekeeping and development of its inmates. It is mandated to safe keep

and develop inmates. Due to the complexity of jail management, aggravated by jail conditions,

personnel need to be equipped with skills and knowledge to adapt the ways, with the aid of

technology, inmates circumvent established procedures against contrabands and illicit activities

(Play Dice, n.d.).

As one of the five pillars of the Criminal Justice System, the BJMP was created to

address growing concern of jail management and penology problem. Primarily, its clients are

detainees accused before a court who are temporarily confined in such jails while undergoing

investigation, waiting final judgement and those who are serving sentence promulgated by the

court 3 years and below. As provided for under R.A. No. 6975, the Jail Bureau is mandated to

take operational and administrative control over all city, district and municipal jails. Although

the workplace of the Jail Bureau is confined inside the portals of jail to safeguard inmates,

nonetheless, the Bureau has an inherent function of informing the public of jail operations and

other matters concerning the corrections pillar of the Philippines. Coincidentally, being a new
and growing Bureau, BJMP aims to keep the public abreast of information regarding jail

management and penology (BJMP, n.d.).

Overcrowding has been one of the biggest issues for prisons for many years.

Overcrowded prisons around the world create difficult and widespread challenges to maintaining

prisoner health and providing a safe environment. Overcrowded prisons can lead to insanitary,

violent conditions that are harmful to the physical and mental well-being of prisoners (UNODC,

2013). Staff who are working in overcrowded prisons are also at risk in a range of ways. They

face greater potential violence from the prisoners, threat of infection and increased stress and

mental health issues.

According to the Chief Inspector of Prisons Annual Report (2017), a reasonably good

standard of health care is provided most of the time in the majority of prisons. Serious

detrimental effects were, however, cited by the Prisons Inspectorate due to prison officer

shortages and resultant restrictive regimes. The shortage of prison officers has impacted

negatively on health care with prisoners unable to attend health care appointments due to a lack

of available escorts. It was also found that in some cases prisoners were given their night time

medication as early as 4:30 p.m. Concerns about mental health problems were identified by

the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (2017), where “nearly one in five of those diagnosed with

a mental health problem received no care from a mental health professional in prison”.

Discussion on the negative consequences of overcrowded prisons is not new and in general there

are two responses: build more prisons or reduce the number of prisoners by using reforms such

as amnesties and early release programs. Neither of these responses, however, is successful in

long-term reduction of prison populations (MacDonald, 2018).

 Understanding the importance of the financial impact of mental health problems and

overcrowding in correctional institutions could help the bureau to address its overcrowding

problem in jails. Preventing overcrowding in prisons is a key initiative to rigorously battle the

problems and concerns for prisoner and staff health resulting from the impact of living and

working in overcrowded prisons. Such prevention measures can include providing programs to

deal with drug addiction, improve education and employment skills.

Statement of the Problem

This study assessed on the effectiveness of the BJMP’s program in the prison

overcrowding issue.

Specifically, it sought to answers to the following questions:

1. How satisfied are the respondents with each of the following domains of life in jail

management?

a. health and functioning;

b. psychological and spiritual?

2. To what extent can determining the reasons for overcrowding improve the safety and

security of jail or correctional institutions?

Background of the Case

As one of the five pillars of the Criminal Justice System, the BJMP was created to

address growing concern of jail management and penology problem. The Bureau has four major

areas of rehabilitation program, namely: Livelihood Projects, Educational and Vocational

Training, Recreation and Sports, and Religious/ Spiritual Activities. These were continuously

implemented to eliminate the offenders' pattern of criminal behavior and to reform them to
become law-abiding and productive citizens. Although the workplace of the Jail Bureau is

confined inside the portals of jail to safeguard inmates, nonetheless, the Bureau has an inherent

function of informing the public of jail operations and other matters concerning the corrections

pillar of the Philippines. Coincidentally, being a new and growing Bureau, BJMP aims to keep

the public abreast of information regarding jail management and penology.

The Bureau has the mission to enhance public safety by ensuring humane safekeeping

and development of Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL) in all district, city, and municipal jails

for their integration to society. In addition, the BJMP is mandated to direct, supervise and control

the administration and operation of all district, city and municipal jails nationwide with pronged

tasks of safekeeping and development of inmates (BJMP PRO12, n.d.).

The Manila City Jail currently accommodates close to 5,000 prisoners who are classified

by law as detention prisoners, city prisoners and youth offenders. Within its walls are men,

women, minors, people with mental illness, and those with health problems. Prisoners, both

undergoing trial and convicted, are mixed together in this prison. Surrounded by a shopping mall

and stores, railway stations, major streets and a university, the Manila City Jail seems

incongruous to the idea of sequestering criminals away from society for the purpose of

rehabilitation and reformation. Inmates are hardly removed from society when they are placed in

the midst of the hustle and bustle of city life. While the Philippine government continues to

initiate various projects and schemes on appropriate jail relocation such goal remains buried

under the bureaucracy and suffers from lack of funding. Prison population increases as new laws

provide for new offenses. The new Dangerous Drugs Act, which took effect in 2002 and

provided for stricter penalties and lowered the threshold of offense necessary for arrest, caused

the recent upsurge of prison population.

 The Manila City Jail has four main compounds housing four groups divided along ethnic

and gender lines. While men and women are housed in separate compounds, the juvenile

delinquents are mixed with the adult prisoners, prisoners with mental illness are mixed with

those who are mentally healthy, and the physically ill with the able-bodied.

Perhaps the most inhuman act that society commits against prisoners is the blatant

disregard for their rights. The thought that prisoners have human rights escapes most people.

While part of a prisoner's punishment is deprivation of certain civil rights, every prisoner has

rights mandated and protected by the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment

of Prisoners, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention

Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. However, in

the face of all these international instruments, society persists in violating the human rights of

prisoners by omission and apathy - neglecting to do what ought to be done and turning a blind

eye on what needs to be addressed. The Philippine Jail System, particularly the Manila City Jail,

exemplifies this situation (Alfaro, 2005).

Overcrowding is generally defined with reference to the occupancy rate and the official

capacity of prisons. Using this simple formula, overcrowding refers to the situation where the

number of prisoners exceeds the official prison capacity. The rate of overcrowding is defined as

that part of the occupancy rate above 100 per cent. It must be noted that this measure is not a

comparable figure, as prison capacity is measured differently in different countries, varying

according to the space allocated for each prisoner in national legislation and rules or other

references. In addition, the rate of overcrowding has no clear value as an indicator of the

conditions in which prisoners are housed or of the severity of the problems they may face. Thus,

the comparison of overcrowding levels can be misleading.

 These prisons are generally those which hold pre-trial detainees, caused by the overuse

and prolonged period of pre-trial detention, rather than the overuse of imprisonment in general.

In fact, conviction rates in such countries can be low, which is evidenced by the small proportion

of sentenced prisoners. A number of deductions can be made, subject to further analysis and

research, to identify the challenges faced in the criminal justice system of such countries.

However, what is clear is that pre-trial detention is often used excessively, and that, if this were

not to be the case, perhaps prison infrastructure would be adequate in terms of space, though not

necessarily of conditions and services offered. In discussing and comparing overcrowding levels

in different countries it is also important to note that there is no internationally accepted standard

for the minimum space requirement for each prisoner. The Standard Minimum Rules for the

Treatment of Prisoners (SMR) provide that “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”.

The lack of adequate space is only one of the numerous problems that are experienced as

a consequence of overcrowding in prisons. Overcrowding impacts also on the quality of

nutrition, sanitation, prisoner activities, health services and the care for vulnerable groups. It

affects the physical and mental well-being of all prisoners, generates prisoner tension and

violence, exacerbates existing mental and physical health problems, increases the risk of

transmission of communicable diseases and poses immense management challenges (United

Nation, 2013).

According to legislative and departmental policy, the Department of Corrections does not

sanction double-celling inmates. This task force agrees with the basic premise that double-celling
violates basic standards of decent housing, health, and institutional security; however, at present,

there is no viable alternative to double-celling inmates as population projections are realized.

Thus, while concurring that double-celling is totally undesirable, the task force must recommend

this, and has attempted to propose gradual population increments and associated staffing to

lessen the impact of overpopulation.

Twenty-five years later, these observations seem woefully anachronistic. Indeed, starting

in the early 1980s correctional officials and politicians began to take the “totally undesirable”

practice of double-celling for granted, even though it was one that they had acknowledged

violated “basic standards of decent housing, health, and institutional security.” However,

nothing had changed to alter the consensus about its undesirability or the risks it posed. Instead,

the overwhelming press of numbers forced correctional administrators, line staff and, of course,

prisoners to routinely accept it. In fact, many administrators considered themselves fortunate if

they were able to maintain a limit of only two prisoners to a cell during their worst periods of

overcrowding. Moreover, if the problem of prison overcrowding had been effectively addressed

early in the era that saw unprecedented increases in the use of incarceration—for example, when

the United States Supreme Court first confronted the then-controversial practice of double-

celling in 1978—not only would the recent history of corrections in the United States have been

written very differently, but many of the problems that the Commission on Safety and Abuse in

America’s Prisons has been called upon to address and help resolve likely would never have

come about. Unfortunately, in part because of the way the Supreme Court chose to handle this

issue, too few lower courts were able to gain meaningful control over this pressing problem.

Because judges have continued to grant great deference to correctional officials, who themselves

have few options

but to accommodate as best they can to the unprecedented influx of prisoners, overcrowding has

gone unchecked in many jurisdictions. Indeed, even under the loose legal standards by which

overcrowding was defined (standards that, after 1979, did not prohibit or even discourage

double-celling) prison systems continued to hold too many people. Thus, according to the

American Civil

Liberties Union’s National Prison Project, by 1995 there were thirty-three jurisdictions in the

United States under court order to reduce overcrowding or improve general conditions in at least

one of their major prison facilities. Nine were operating under court orders that covered their

entire prison system. And many correctional systems that managed to avoid judicial scrutiny

were nonetheless significantly overcrowded. The situation has not improved appreciably over

the last decade, and in some jurisdictions it has gotten much worse. Even prison systems that

supposedly “fixed” their overcrowding problem, often under pressure from the courts, find

themselves once again confronting it and related problems. So, with these three preliminary

points in mind—that prisons can be and often are psychologically harmful; having too many

prisoners makes already adverse prison conditions much worse; and many of the most serious

problems that now plague American corrections could have been avoided if population limits

and humane housing standards had been implemented in the early years of over-incarceration—

it is possible to discuss overcrowding issues in more detail (Craig, 2006).

Prison crowding is often identified as the cause of inmate ill health and misconduct and of

post release recidivism. Crowding can be measured objectively in several ways: in terms of floor

space per prisoner, prisoners per living unit, and institutional population relative to stated capacity.

Whether an inmate perceives conditions as crowded depends on objective crowding conditions and on

the relative differences in crowding within a prison's housing accommodations. Research on prison
crowding has not, however, convincingly demonstrated many adverse effects of crowding. The major

findings on which most researchers agree are that prisoners housed in large, open bay dormitories are

more likely to visit clinics and to have high blood pressure than are prisoners in other housing

arrangements (single-bunked cells, double-bunked cells, small dormitories, large partitioned

dormitories); that prisons that contain dormitories have somewhat higher assault rates than do other

prisons; and that prisons housing significantly more inmates than a design capacity based on sixty

square feet per inmate are likely to have high assault rates. The relationship of crowding to the

distribution and availability of prison resources has not been investigated. Crowding may act as an

intensifier of stressful conditions that have been precipitated by other causes. Under extreme

conditions, crowding can itself induce stress reactions. The limited number of research findings that

can be asserted with confidence is the product of inherent difficulties confronting efforts to conduct

well-controlled research studies in prison (Gaes, 1985).

Consistent with universal standards, the Philippine Government established its own

national standards in reviewing its correctional system for prisoners/ detainees administered by

the Department of Justice, the Bureau of Corrections and Bureau of Jails Management and

Penology (BJMP) of the Department of Interior and Local Government. This correctional system

consists of rehabilitation, and organized care and treatment program aimed at the promotion of

the dignity of the confined persons in particular and the correctional community in general.

Foremost, the provision of basic needs of prisoners is the prime factor to be fulfilled before any

effective rehabilitation program can be committed and tackled. Though prisoners, they are still

endowed with the same basic rights for human rights in common parlance are rights inherent in

the nature of every individual without which he cannot live as a human being. By human

standards, all accommodations provided for the use of inmates, particularly sleeping
accommodations shall meet all requirements of health, with due regard to climactic conditions,

particularly to cubic content of air, minimum floor space, lighting and ventilation. Further into

the system is a comprehensive multi-disciplinary rehabilitation program aimed at the total human

development of the inmates which cover education services, spiritual development, livelihood

opportunity, enhancement and other welfare services inclusive of health and medical provisions.

During the past years that the CHR was monitoring conditions in jails and detention

centers, majority of the facilities covered by the visits were found not fit for human confinement.

It was observed and described as unlikely to rehabilitate, but certain to punish. Although this

situation may solicit both approval and criticism. The inspections made by CHR regional offices

revealed that more than 50% of the jails covered by the visits needed a gargantuan amount of

reconditioning and restoration. The most common problem of prisoners/detainees was the

insufficiency or lack of food provision due to the delay in release of food allotment and

inadequate or unsanitary food preparation. In certain jails, food expenses were shouldered by

police personnel and even relatives of inmates/detainees. It should be noted that the timeliness in

the release of funds for the purposes of the essence to meet this basic need for survival. Another

major problem is the prisoners/detainees’ shelter/living space. This refers to basic confinement

areas where the prisoners live to complete their term. Their place of confinement has been a

perennial problem for the prisoners/detainees. Inspectors encountered old, dilapidated, and

congested buildings, no longer suited for human existence, defective comfort rooms resulting to

unsanitary conditions, lack of sleeping paraphernalia and, undersized cells with poor ventilation

and defective water system and even lack of potable water which is a basic source of life. A high

percentage of jails also had poor lighting or no lighting facilities at all.

 Due to these old prevailing problems, inmates have easily acquired different kinds of

diseases. Based on reports recently, there was a rampant spread of boils (pigsa) and diarrhea

among the prisoners/detainees. The absence of sufficient medical supplies and laboratory

facilities noted in the various prison further compound this sorry plight of prisoners/ detainees.

Needing stricter observance and compliance are the constitutional guarantees for a

person¹s rights and the national standards set by the BOC sets out premises for the

prisoners/detainees rights. These rights are more often said to be illusory for the inmates. A

number of inmates complained of various violations against their person. These include denial of

the right to counsel and to speedy trial, illegal/arbitrary arrest/detention, torture, maltreatment/

physical injuries, sexual harassment/abuse against chastity as deprivations of right to basic

services. Moreover, reports on inmates complaining that they are deprived of their right to a

speedy trial is still much attendant to the present scenario. Other instances are—despite their

long confinement, the court has not yet passed any final verdict yet due to slow disposition of

cases by the courts and judges’ absenteeism among other reasons identified. There were also

reports gathered that a number of inmates were stripped of their rights to a counsel due to the

lack of it. More than a handful of detentions largely acknowledge the prisoner¹s right to be free

from physical abuse and solitary confinement but the physical abuse the inmates’ encounter and

endure is through the system of “mayores” or “gang-lordships” which is tolerated and condoned

by prison guards and officials. As a result, interminable physical violence and deaths are deemed

to be accepted in jails for they are condoned by the very officials who are expected to uphold and

preserve their basic rights. This consequently makes the inmates¹ lives in constant danger rather

than a safe place for rehabilitation.

At the Death Row of the NBP and CIW, the Commission has monitored the dormitory to be

overcrowded and poorly ventilated that cause the convicts to suffer from illnesses. It also found

out that Leo Echegaray, the first person sentenced to death since the re-imposition of the death

penalty was in solitary confinement, although this restriction was lifted upon legal

representation.

Conspicuously, the primordial factors obstructing the efficiency and effectiveness in the penal

and rehabilitation administration are the sub-standard equipment and facilities, the shortage of

manpower who have the expertise in dealing with inmates as men in uniform who crave for

power capitalize on the vulnerable conditions of prisoners/detainees and the deficiency in

budgetary allocations which are needed for the renovations and improvements of the physical

structures.

More or less, observations on conditions obtaining in jails were the aspect of education

and opportunities. Educational services to inmates are to some extent, provided under the

rehabilitation system. The BOC particularly, oversees three stages of learning: elementary, high

school and college that also includes vocational courses. This enables inmates to obtain a college

degree in courses offered by the prison school system in collaboration with accredited colleges

and universities. Learning other work activities is another form of rehabilitation, thus, livelihood

training programs are provided to equip them with certain skills. Inmates are very much

encouraged to engage in livelihood projects to practice their skills and earn for themselves or

even their families. Their right to exercise religious belief or practices is the most enjoyed right

of the inmates (Preda Foundation, 2009).

In the study conducted by Taeza, (2000), entitled “Managerial Approaches to Congested

Jails”. This study was conducted to assess the current BJMP management of congested jail.
Recognizing the limitations of survey questionnaire in data collection, the researcher conducted

field work on-site assessment involving direct observation and interviews to develop a complete

picture of the methods used in the management f jail congestion in Region 02. The ninety-nine

(99) respondents included thirty-eight (38) BJMP personnel, forty-two (42) offenders and

nineteen (19) neighborhood residents surrounding in the jails studied. The study is essentially

descriptive and analytical. It had utilized survey questionnaires to obtain the needed data. A

combination of statistical tools were used in the study. The descriptive statistics were employed

to analyze the profile of the respondents. These were also used in analyzing the information of

the problems, approaches and practices inherent to the management of the congested jails. The t-

test was applied to compare the responses of the jailers and inmates. The demographic profile

showed that the jailer-respondents are in the best position to provide the primary data for

assessing the problem of congestion, considering their accumulated knowledge, training, and

experiences as correctional officers. On the comparison between the perception of jailers and the

inmates on the effectiveness of the managerial approaches and practices of managing crowded

jails, the result of the t-test revealed a no-significant differences on the perception of jailers and

inmates in the combined jails in the management of space, security and inmates’ activities or

programs. Significant differences however, were observed between the perception of the two

groups considering management of staff and management of communication between staff and

inmates.

According to the study of Glazener (2016), “Exploring the Link between Prison

Crowding and Inmate Misconduct: A Panel Data Analysis”. The research on the impact of prison

crowding on inmate misconduct is mixed, with studies finding positive, negative, and null

results. These inconsistencies may be due to the use of data restricted to one specific point in
time as previous studies have heavily relied on cross-sectional methods. These cross-sections

may or may not be representative of longer-term trends, and they do not allow for the

examination of changes over time. To address this limitation, the current study utilizes state

prison panel data to examine monthly within-institution changes. Using modern data from a large

state correctional system, this study demonstrates the utility of examining this research question

longitudinally. Findings demonstrate that prison crowding leads to increases in misconduct rates,

although this relationship diminishes after crowding reaches a certain threshold. However, our

data did not support the expected relationship between crowding and violent misconduct

specifically. Other time- varying factors were found to consistently predict misconduct and

violence. Policy implications and future directions are discussed.

In the study conducted by Robinson (2018), “A Case Study of Overcrowding in a County

Jail in the Southeast United States”. For the past several decades, the county jail in a large

metropolitan city in the southeast United States has been overcrowded, which has resulted in

violence within the jail, excessive costs to the Sheriff’s Office, and a requirement of Federal

oversight of the jail from 2005 to 2015. In spite of these events, little is understood about why

jail overcrowding is prevalent in the county and what impacts overcrowding may have on the

communities around the jail. Using Shaw and McKay’s social disorganization theory as the

foundation, the purpose of this case study was to understand the unique circumstances around in

the geographic region that may contribute to overcrowding in order to avoid the risk of future

federal government intervention. Data were collected through interviews with jail administrators

and staff, commissioners, and judges. Additionally, publicly available data related to the

operations of the jail were collected. These data were inductively coded and then subjected to a

thematic analysis procedure. Key findings identified the primary causes of overcrowding to
include increases in the number of correctional clients with mental health problems, increases in

the number of youthful offenders, and deficiencies in capacity at the primary jail facility that has

not kept pace with population changes in the county. Positive social change implications include

recommendations to jail administrators and lawmakers to use statutory authority to alleviate

some of the problems in and around the jail facility. These recommendations may reduce the

financial and legal risk for the county and promote public safety both within and outside the jail.

Maes, Mine, De Man and Van Brakel (2012) examined the problem of prison

overcrowding in the Belgium correctional system. The researchers noted that approximately 40%

of the prisoner population would be a recidivist. As stated by Maes, Mine, De Man and Van

Brakel, electronic monitoring could be a viable alternative to pretrial detention. The researchers

point out that electronic monitoring was started in Belgium approximately in the calendar year

2000. The researchers concluded that electronic monitoring could be a possible solution to prison

overcrowding, but it is essential that the number of people on electronic monitoring is

comparable to the number of workers who are hired to monitor.

Corrections administrators have long recognized the possibility of education as a method

of creating a favorable change in incarcerated individuals. Through education the individual

would be encouraged in his/her attempts to succeed within society. However, this feeling has

been more of an intuitive notion rather than empirically determined. The goal of this dissertation

has been the development of a model of recidivism prediction which could overcome the

problems of subjectivity, inaccuracy, and invalidity found in many currently used methods of

prediction. This investigation was designed to explore relationships between several educational

variables and post-release behavior of criminal offenders. The results of this research support and

confirm the positive relationship between education and recidivism. The elements of the social
bond and differential association have proved in the past to be important predictors of future

criminal activity. As indicators of recidivism, these two theoretical perspectives provide the

foundation for a new model in correction reform. At the beginning of this investigation it was

anticipated that the addition of education, income, and a measurement of the social bond,

grounded in criminological theory (elements of the social bond and differential association),

would significantly add to the predictive ability of recidivism. The approach used in this

dissertation has been to develop the problem and then to apply appropriate educational and

criminological theories and perspectives to solve the problem. Using meta-analysis as a method

of mining the knowledge produced by numerous studies in the area of corrections education, the

goal has been to utilize the additive power of these studies and the various approaches to solve a

critical social problem rather than to develop a new social theory. The findings from this study

suggest that criminologically grounded variables such as, education, income, and the social bond,

previously applied to predict criminality can be successfully utilized to predict, and then

ultimately prevent, continuation of an already existing criminal career. The end result can be

applied to policy development that will aid in a reduction of prison populations (Wells, 2000).

EVALUATION OF THE CASE

1. Respondents Level of Satisfaction in Terms of Health and Functioning in Jail

A. Table 1 below represents the satisfaction level of the respondents on the health and

functioning domains of life.

Table 1

Respondents Level of Satisfaction in Health and Functioning Domains in Life

HEALTH AND FUNCTIONING Weighted Interpretation

DOMAINS OF LIFE Mean
Your health 4.58 Moderately Satisfied
 Health care 4.22 Slightly Satisfied
Pain 4.16 Slightly Satisfied
Energy 4.64 Moderately Satisfied
Ability to care of yourself without help 4.39 Moderately Satisfied
Control over life 4.37 Moderately Satisfied
Chances of living as long as you would like 4.31 Slightly Satisfied
Sex life 2.84 Slightly Satisfied
Ability to take care of family responsibilities 3.6 Slightly Satisfied
Usefulness to others 3.87 Slightly Satisfied
Worries 3.98 Slightly Satisfied
Things for fun 3.86 Slightly Satisfied
Chances for a happy future 4.3 Slightly Satisfied
OVERALL WEIGHTED MEAN 4.08 SLIGHTLY SATISFIED

The table above clearly shows that the respondents are moderately satisfied on

the amount of energy they need for everyday activities. The sex life got the lowest weighted

mean of 2.84 which indicates that the respondents are slightly dissatisfied in this aspect of life.

Female inmates came out to be more slightly dissatisfied in their sex life compared to male

inmates This result could be attributed to the fact that one of the fundamental consequences of

their imprisonment is lack of control over decisions about their activities. This lack of autonomy

is evident in nearly all aspects of prison life including sexual activities, though conjugal visits are

allowed, that is visits were sexual intercourse between inmates and their spouses may occur.

Prisoners have virtually no privacy and are observable at all times by different forms of

surveillance. This loss of liberty and privacy represents an extreme change from life in the

community. Female inmates are more slightly dissatisfied in terms of sex life than male inmates

since the latter have the high possibility of indulging into sexual stimulation of one’s own

genitals to reach orgasm without bothering on the people around and the place. Moreover,

homosexual rape is a common occurrence in male prisons, with attacks generally made on

vulnerable new inmates.

B. Respondents Level of Satisfaction in Terms of Psychological and Spiritual Domains of Life
Table 2 below represents the satisfaction level of the respondents on the psychological
and spiritual domains of life.
Table 2

Respondents Level of Satisfaction in Terms of Psychological and Spiritual Domains of Life

PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SPIRITUAL Weighted Interpretation

DOMAINS OF LIFE Mean
Peace of mind 4.23 Slightly Satisfied
Faith in God 5.63 Very Satisfied
Achievement of personal goals 4.1 Slightly Satisfied
Happiness in general 3.84 Slightly Satisfied
Life satisfaction in general 3.62 Slightly Satisfied
Personal appearance 4.2 Slightly Satisfied
Self 4.24 Slightly Satisfied
OVERALL WEIGHTED MEAN 4.27 SLIGHTLY SATISFIED

Table 2 above provides the respondents satisfaction level on the psychological and

spiritual domains of life. As shown, faith in God is not a questioned to the respondents since they

are very satisfied on this aspect in life with the highest weighted mean of5.63. Life satisfaction in

general has the lowest weighted mean (3.62) which indicates as lightly satisfied response from

the respondents. The finding implies that the respondents feel contentment with regards to the

spiritual enrichment program of the Jail Management which is to ensure that the religious and

spiritual needs of inmates are appropriately met. Respondents’ response on the life satisfaction in

general which is slightly satisfied can be linked to their current condition. Most studies show that

while most inmates, including long-term prisoners, adjust successfully to prison life, many do

not cope well with the pains of imprisonment. Their daily lives are highly regimented and their

every move is watched by prison guards.

2. Determining the Reasons for Overcrowding to Improve the Safety and Security in Jail or

Correctional Institutions

Overcrowding has a major impact on the safety and security of prisoners and staff, where

the prisoner to staff ratio increases, tensions can be high and prisoners angry and frustrated about

the conditions in which they are held. Experience in many countries has shown that the risk of

violence, prisoner protests and other disturbances in overcrowded prisons is acute. Prison

suicides have increased in a number of countries as a result of overcrowding. In many prison

systems the lack of staff to supervise the growing number of prisoners has led to selected

prisoners being given supervisory and disciplinary roles to keep order and maintain security in

prisons. This violates a basic principle contained in the SMR, and increases the risk of abuse of

vulnerable prisoners by those who are stronger, as well as of corrupt practices. Vulnerable

groups, such as children, young prisoners, women, prisoners with mental health care needs, with

disabilities and older prisoners are at particular risk of being bullied and abused in overcrowded

conditions, where different categories of prisoners are not separated, and in an environment

where the control of the prison administration will have been weakened (United Nation, 2013).

Safety and security are the foundation on which all jail operations must be built. Without

effective, continuous safety and security practices, everyone is exposed to a variety of risks.

Programs and services are often part of a jail’s mission, but these must be built on a strong

foundation. Security is not convenient. Implementing security practices requires time and

attention and usually slows the pace of operations. Employees often suspend basic security

practices in order to accommodate what they perceive to be the needs of some jail stakeholders.

This might take the form of propping a secure movement door open or failing to positively

identify someone before allowing access to an area. Such well-intentioned actions seriously
undermine facility safety and security. Such practices fall under the maxim “The road to Hell is

paved with good intentions”. Achieving safety and security requires balancing facilities,

technology, and operations. Moreover, all three jail components of the jail setting must be

sufficient and balanced in order to achieve and maintain safety and security. This document

explores all three dimensions and provides tools to help assess and improve each one, and all

three together. Figure 1 below shows the three Components of Jail Safety and Security.

Figure 1. Three Components of Jail Safety and Security

Proper staffing is essential. Maintaining safety and security demands sufficient staff

should be qualified, directed by policies and procedure, properly trained, effectively supervised

and properly deployed. A jail’s duty to protect is constant, beginning when an inmate is admitted

and continuing until release. Caselaw clearly establishes the responsibility of jail officials to

protect inmates from a “risk of serious harm” at all times, and from all types of harm-- from

others, from themselves, from the jail setting, from disease, and more (Miller and Wetzel, 2008).

PROPOSED SOLUTION/CHANGES
 After analyzing the secondary resources from various resources, the conclusion reached

is that there is a need to change the issue of prison overcrowding following Eighteenth

Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice on 16-24 April 2009. If the social

marginalization and poverty are considered as influencing factors for which the crime rate

increased, then there is a need to take action against these factors. Similarly, if it is noted that due

to sentences finalized in the judgment, the prisoners have to stay in prisons for a long time for

minor offenses, then it is vital to reduce the time of imprisonment. This would result in gradually

diminishing the issue of overcrowding. The review of the literature reveals that due to

overcrowding, the prisoners’ mental health is affected since they need to adjust with each other

and at the time, two persons have to sleep in one small cell instead of one. Their health is

affected in this way along with their privacy and they face injuries like accidents or self-harm.

There is insufficient bed space also, and the facilities become limited since the administrative

system of the prison fails to accommodate such a large number of prisoners which exceed the

capacity of prison.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. The system is implemented not only in the major penal institutions in the country but also

in the local, provincial and municipal jails.

2. For the government, ponder on the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (2004-

2010) intended for the Corrections and Rehabilitation Pillar i.e. strict monitoring of
 prisoners’ carpetas/prison records through a systematic and improve records system to

avoid any delay in the release of prisoners.

3. To the Bureau of Jail Management and Protection (BJMP) administrators; they should

develop more programs in coping mechanism of prisoners to reduce loneliness and

boredom. They should offer volunteer opportunities to prisoners who have showed

improvements in their behavior and conduct constant evaluation on the institutional

programs regarding the different domains in life - health and functioning, social and

economic, psychological and spiritual, and family.

4. 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 of the prison inmates with

enough time and resources ready at hand. In addition, it would be beneficial to consider

the inmate’s length of stay and the criminal offense in the future study.

REFERENCES

A. Books
Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, (n.d.) from http://bjmpro12.com/index.php/about-
bjmp
United Nation, (2013). “Handbook on Strategies to Reduce Overcrowding in Prisons”, from
 https://www.unodc.org/documents/justice-and-prison-reform/Overcrowding_in_prisons
_Ebook.pdf

B. Journals
Play Dice (n.d.). “Bureau of Jail Management and Penology”, from
https://www.scribd.com/
presentation/408703661/bjmp
MacDonald, M., (2018). “Overcrowding and It’s Impact on Prison’s Conditions and Health”,
Volume 14, Issue 2, from https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJPH-
04- 2018-0014/full/html
Alfaro, M.R.A., (2005). “Human Rights Behind Bars: The Manila City Jail Experience”, Vol. 39,
from https://www.hurights.or.jp/archives/focus/section2/2005/03/human-rights behind-
barsthe-manila-city-jail-experience.html

B. Published Thesis
Taeza, J.B., (2000). “Managerial Approaches to Congested Jails”, from
http://www.ndcp.edu.ph/index.php/library/thesis-1324/
Glazener, E., (2016). “Exploring the Link between Prison Crowding and Inmate Misconduct: A
Panel Data Analysis”, from
https://drum.lib.umd.edu/bitstream/handle/1903/19021/Glazener_umd_0117N_17738.pdf
?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Robinson, M., (2018). “A Case Study of Overcrowding in a County Jail in the Southeast United
States”, from https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=6691&context=dissertations
Wells, R.E., (2000). “Education as Prison Reform: A Meta-Analysis”, from

https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
referer=&httpsredir=1&article=8305&context=gradschool_disstheses

Maes, E., Mine, B., De Man, C., & Van Brakel, R. (2012). “Thinking about electronic
monitoring
 in the context of pre-trial detention in Belgium: a solution to prison overcrowding?
European Journal of Probation”, 4(2), 3-22, from
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=6691&context=dissertations
Miller, R., & Wetzel, J.E., (2008). “Jail Vulnerability Assessment: A Systems Approach to

Improve Safety and Security”, from http://correction.org/wp-

content/uploads/2014/10/Jail-Vulnerability-Assessment-JVA-Final-Draft.pdf

D. Electronic Sources
Craig, H., (2006). “The Wages of Prison Overcrowding: Harmful Psychological Consequences
and Dysfunctional Correctional Reactions”, from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254719720_The_Wages_of_Prison_Overcrowd
ing_Harmful_Psychological_Consequences_and_Dysfunctional_Correctional_Reactions
Gaes, G., (1985). “The Effects of Overcrowding in Prison”, Vol. 6, pp. 95-146, from

https://www.jstor.org/stable/1147497?seq=1

E. Documents
Preda Foundation (2009). “An Update on the Study on the Condition of Jails
and Correctional Institutions in the Country
Commission on Human Rights”, from https://www.preda.org/2009/the-situation-of-the-
philippine-penitentiaries/