Prison Laws, Reforms and Community Participation in Corrections

• NCJ Number: 74227
• Journal: Criminal Justice Journal Volume: 1 Issue: 2 Dated: (Second Quarter 1980) Pages: 20-27
• Author(s): N Ponferrada
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: Philippines
• Note: Text of speech delivered at the First Colloquium on Prison Perspectives and Reforms, University of the Philippines Law Center, May 2, 1980.

Annotation

This article suggests that Philippine correctional facilities should adopt a number of prison reforms which have received acceptance in the United States.

Abstract

Prisons are expected to provide punishment, deterrence, and rehabilitation, although the very characteristics essential to punishment are obstacles to rehabilitation. Concepts of humanitarian reform and rehabilitation assume that imprisonment itself is sufficient punishment and call for the establishment of civilized living conditions and of treatment efforts aimed at the social reintegration of offenders. Effective reforms would include the elimination of indeterminate sentences which encourage inmates to pretend to be rehabilitated in order to gain an early release. Rehabilitation programs should be facilitative rather than coercive. Only dangerous prisoners or those for whom other punitive measures have failed should be imprisoned. With fewer inmates, prison programs could be more effective. Additional minimum security institutions should be built since they create a relaxed atmosphere conducive to better relationships among inmates and between inmates and the prison staff. Community-based corrections can be provided through small halfway houses and work release centers which would help inmates maintain family ties and rejoin the community. Parole officers are most effective when they have small caseloads; an average of 40 cases is acceptable. Their work can be made easier and more effective if prisons educate inmates in the handling of those problems which will arise upon release. Furthermore, community groups should be encouraged to help resettle ex-offenders. Prison staff should be recruited from civilian groups and include psychology, sociology, and social work graduates -- those who are rehabilitation-oriented. Also, female staff can contribute to a more humane prison environment. Other reforms should include stepping up research on economic and effective rehabilitation techniques; allowing those who are awaiting trials to be released on their own recognizance without guarantors if little risk of further criminal conduct is evident; decriminalizing such victimless crimes as vagrancy, drunkenness, and gambling; and allowing prisoners certain constitutional rights, such as freedom of religion, due process, and freedom from cruel and unusual punishment. A reference list is not included.