NCJ Number
74347
Date Published
1980
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article outlines the correctional system in the Philippines, describing crime prevention efforts, prison facilities, and life in a typical prison.
Abstract
A recent national decree limiting imprisonment to offenders who must serve more than 3 years has reduced commitment to the national prisons by 20 percent. Because the present Government ranks peace and order as a national priority, crime prevention efforts have been implemented at all levels of the criminal justice system. In corrections, diversionary programs have been established, as well as community-based centers for juveniles. There are 1,500 correctional institutions in the Philippines, operated on three levels of government, national, provincial, and municipal, grouping prisoners by length of sentence and required security. A total of 4,037 (21.7 percent) of the inmates were enrolled in the various educational activities offered at the institutions, including adult literacy classes, vocational training, high school classes, and citizenship training. Correctional programs in the penal colonies are mainly agricultural, work-oriented, and approximate actual working conditions in the free community. Deserving inmates are permitted to bring their families to live with them. Overcrowding is not a problem in Philippine prisons, which meet the approved standards set down by the United nations. One table is included.