CRISIS IN CORRECTIONAL SERVICES: OVERCROWDING AND ITS IMPLICATIONS TO REHABILITATION AND SECURITY IN THE PROVINCE OF ANTIQUE

This research sought to determine the reasons for overcrowding, services, problems, and strategies used to address overcrowding in correctional institutions and its implications to rehabilitation and security in the Province of Antique. To facilitate the study, descriptive survey method was used to analyze the prevailing conditions of inmates in different correctional units in the Province of Antique. It investigated the quality of the services provided by various provincial correctional units to the inmates which included a rehabilitation center in Antique and two (2) satellite correctional units of the BJMP. The respondents composed of jail personnel and inmates were asked to answer the survey questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as frequency, percentage, weighted mean, and ANOVA. Results revealed that the common reasons for overcrowding in correctional institutions were the increase of inmates detained for drug related offenses and court hearings usually postponed due to the unavailability of the judge. Generally, the services inside the correctional institutions were perceived as very good in terms of jail facilities and recreational services. Meanwhile, the problems were failure to conduct regular dry-run to take into consideration the actual strength of the jail per shift, unavailability of jail nurse/medical personnel in case of untoward incidence, failure to conduct background investigation of inmates to determine the cell assignment, and failure of jail personnel to check the authenticity of the entries in the inmates’ medical certificate. To address problems on overcrowding, inmates are given a chance for a mediation process before being committed to jail, effort is being made to acquire new lot for building of a new jail facility, and several programs and interventions are conducted by the local government. The reasons for overcrowding did not vary among the three correctional institutions in terms of security management, prosecutorial accountability, and budgetary and funds. A significant difference was found in the perception of the inmates on the services in terms of basic needs, jail facilities, recreational services, problems encountered by correctional institutions and its personnel in terms of correctional administration, and strategies used to address overcrowding in terms of infrastructure while no significant difference existed in terms of medical, psychological and dental services and problems in terms of operations, security procedures, and maintaining records and problems in terms of alternative to jail confinement and political will. The study recommends the drafting of programs that will benefit not just the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), but also the PNP, the provincial government, the local government units, and different scholastic institutions.