“No one truly knows a nation until one has been

inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it

treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones”

-Nelson Mandela
 United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the
Treatment of Prisoners
-generally accepted as being good principle and
practice in the treatment of prisoners and management
of institution-

Republic Act 10575

“The Bureau of Corrections Act of 2013’’
-promote the general welfare and safeguard the basic
rights of every prisoner incarcerated in our national
penitentiary-
 A Critical Analysis in the Implementation of
United Nations “Standard Minimum Rules for the
Treatment of Prisoners”
in Bulacan Provincial Jail

Nikko Franchello J. Santos

J.D. 4B
“Due to jail congestion spread of infectious diseases
among inmates is up by 40%”
(BJMP spokesman-Senior Inspector Xavier Solda February 2018)

“The allotted meal budget per individual is ranging from

50 pesos to 75 pesos a day
(Former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre III)

Increased gang affiliation of inmates. To sustain survival,

inmates hold on to gangs or 'pangkat' where they find protection,
[a] network of social support, and most important,
access to material benefits,"
( Commission on Audit (COA) said in its 2017 audit report on
the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP)
 PREVALENCE OF THE USE OF INMATE LEADERS

Adopt a system of using inmate leaders as an integral component of prison

management.

Inmates can either assume custodial, administrative, and rehabilitation functions.

Prison staff usually recognizes the inmate leaders through issuance of a
“directive.” In terms of custodial functions, all 14,000 inmates in the MSC are
housed in one of the 13 brigada (brigades) which are managed by a set of
nanunungkulan (inmate leaders). Positions in the inmate hierarchy include the
bosyo (overall leader; also called commander, mayores, elder), assistant-bosyo,
bastonero (in charge of discipline), kulturero (in charge of headcounts),
mahinarya (night watch), chief buyonero (in charge of cleanliness), and marsyal
(outside security)

(Raymund E. Narag and Clark R. Jones-Understanding Prison

Management in the Philippines: A case for shared governance)
“Add dirty tap water, dingy toilets, substandard meals,
gang war, poorly trained guards and prison
administrators, favoritism, and you have a system built
for punishment, not for rehabilitation.

“This is not the enlightened approach to penology

which is reform geared towards a subsequent productive
life upon re-entry to the community. It is a throwback to
the 18th century that treated prisoners as animals unfit to
renew themselves and re-join society.”
Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against
Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment (OPCAT)- (Committee for the prevention of torture)
 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
1. What is the current condition of the Bulacan Provincial Jail
in relation to the implementation of UN-SMRTP?

2. What are the remedies or solution already used by Bulacan

Provincial Jail to alleviate the worsening condition in prison

3. What are the other remedies or solution that can be done in

order to uphold the prisoner’s rights?

4. What are the possible system or method that can be used in

order to ensure the effective implementation of the above
remedy or solution
 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
To determine the severity of prison condition/degree of implementation of the
United Nations Standard Rules for Treatment of Prisoners.

To determine, aside from the obvious problem of overcrowding, the other causes
contributing to the prison’s present condition and the reason for the inability to
meet the standards provided under the United Nations standard minimum rules for
treatment of prisoners;

To determine the number of prisoner to prisoner violence and abuses committed by

prison authority/personnel against prisoners;

To examine the possible effects of such violation and non-compliance to the

prisoners;

To examine the feasibility of institutionalizing alternative and cheap rehabilitation

and correction programs;
 RESEARCH AND METHODOLOGY
Qualitative research
Mixed of structured and unstructured interviews
RATIO:
1. To consider the interviewees emotion, opinion and background
rather than to gather facts or obtain generalizable findings
2. for a ‘humanistic style of research’, which tries to depict the
painful and emotional aspect of the social practices we study.

-Quantitative data can describe some aspects of prison life and are useful if
we want to make statements about certain facts, incidents, categories or
decisions, but are less appropriate to make sense of the cultural,
hierarchical, social and emotional dimensions of life and work in prison.
From our experiences, prisoners and staff prefer qualitative data collection
from the standard measurements
(Beyens K, Kennes P, Snacken S and Tournel H (2015) The craft of doing qualitative research in
prisons. International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy 4(1): 66‐78. doi: )