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1. Early Codes
Emerged at about 1750 B.C. and was credited as the oldest code prescribing savage punishment
It provides the first comprehensive view of the laws, which is known for its harsh and cruel penalties
characterized by the law of talion, an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.
b. Deuteronomy
The fifth book of the Holy Bible, which contains the basis of the Jewish laws. These laws were in the
form of a covenant between God and the people of Israel
i. Justinian Code
Emerged at about 6th Century A.D. believed to have written by Emperor Justinian I of Rome which was
evolved from the Law of the Twelve Tables, the earliest code of Roman Law. This was an effort to match
a desirable amount of punishment to all possible crimes However, the law did not survive due to the fall
of the Roman Empire but let a foundation of western legal codes.
It is the code that is considered the ultimate in severity, which was formulated by Draco, an Athenian
lawgiver known for the severity of his punishments
The Code of Draco is a harsh code that provides the same punishment for both citizens and slaves as it
incorporates primitive concepts (vengeance, blood feuds)
They were the first society to allow citizen to prosecute the offender in the name of the injured party
The appointed archon in Athens who repealed all the laws of Draco except the law on homicide during
his time.
He was the one who first proposed that a lawgiver had to make laws that applied equaliy to all citizens.
He also saw that the law of punishment had to maintain proportionality to the crimes of which offenders
were convicted
It was written when Rome was in transition from being a kingdom to a republic. It is considered as the
foundation of all laws in Rome, which was drafted by the Decemvirs, a special commission of patricians.
v. Institutes of Justinian
It is a review of the Roman laws organized by twelve experts appointed by Emperor Justinian.
The code which specified punishment according to the social class of offenders dividing them into:
nobles, middle class and lower class and specifying the value of the life of each person according to
social status.
It is known as the century of dark ages wherein excessive and brutał measures of social control imposed
by the church.
A criminal could avoid punishment by claiming refugee in a church for a period of 90 days but at the end
of which time has compelled to leave the realm by a road or path assigned to him. In England at about
1468, torture as a form of punishment became prevalent.
5. 16th Century
Death penalty became prevalent as a form of punishment. Gaols or jails were common and galleys were
also used
b. Galleys - long, low, narrow, single decked ships propelled by sails, usually rowed by criminals used for
transportation of cniminals in the sixteenth century.
c. Hulks - decrepit transport, former warship used to house prisoners in the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuy
These were abandoned warships converted into prisons as means of relieving congestion of prisoners.
They were also called "floating hells"
It is the period of recognizing human dignity. It is the movement of reformation, the period of
introduction of certain reforms in the corectional field by certain person
1. William Penn
corectional treatment for major offenders. He is also responsible for the abolition of death penalty and
torture as a form of punishment .
2. Isaac Newton
He encouraged intellectuals to investigate social and scientific phenomena methodically and objectively.
A French historian and philosopher who analyzed law as an expression of justice. He believed that
harsh punishment would undermine morality and that appealing to moral sentiments is a better means
of preventing crime. He confronted religion and the historical role of the church in the political
arrangement of society and published a book entitled, "Spirit of the Laws"
4. Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet)
He was the most versatile of all philosophers during this period. He believes that shame is a deterrent to
crime. He fought the legality-sanctioned practice of torture
He wrote an essay entitled, An Essay on Crimes and Punishment the most exciting on law during this
century. It presented the humanistic goal of law it made emphasis on the imposition of punishment as
means of deterring criminal behaviors.
6. Jeremy Bentham
The greatest leader in the reform of English Criminal law. He believes that punishment designed to
negate pleasure or gain the criminal derives from crime would reduce the crime
He is also the one who designed the Panoptican Prison (from the Greek word which means "everything
and a "place of sight), which became the "ultimate penitentiary or inspection house. It is a prison that
consists of circular building containing multi-cells around the perriphery, but it was never built.
His inspiration to design the panoptican is traced primarily to English prison reformer
John Howard.
principle", more commonly called Utilitarianism, which gave rise to the concept of 'felicific calculus"
Felicific Calculus
amount of pain could be calculated, compared and adjusted so that punishment would be no more than
sufficient and always just.
7. John Howard
The sherif of Bedfordshire in 1773 who devoted his life and fortune to prison reform. He published the
book,"The State of Prisons in England and Wales." After his findings on English Prisons, he
recommended the following
c. segregation of youth
He is credited for being responsible for the ideas on prison reform in England and the United States.
Howard died of jail fever (typus) in 1790 while inspecting a prison in Russia.
8. Alexander Maconochie
He is the Superintendent of the penal colony at Norfolk Island in Australia (1840) who introduced the
"Mark System", which became the predecessor of the good conduct time allowance" and the parole
system. A system in which a prisoner is required to earn a number of marks based on proper de
partment, labor and study in order to entitle him for a ticket for leave or conditional release which is
similar to parole
9. Manuel Montesinos
The director of prisons in Valencia Spain (1835) who divided the number of prisoners into companies
and appointed certain prisoners as pety officers in charge, which allowed good behavior to prepare the
convict for gradual release
Established an agricultural colony for delinquent boys in 1839 providing housefathers as in charge of
these boys.
He is the director of the Irish Prison in 1854 who introduced the "irish system" that was modified from
the Maconochie's mark system.
He is the director of Elmira Reformatory in New York (1876) who introduced certain innovational
programs like the following
c. casework methods
e. indeteminate sentence
An English director of prisons after visiting the Elmira Refomatory and the Massachusetts Reformatory at
Concord in 1897 opened a specialized program at the small town of Borstal for male offenders between
ages of 16 and 21. It was based entirely on individualized-treatment, both in the institution and during
the period of aftercare.
CONCEPT OF PENOLOGY
Corrections
concerned with the custody, supervision and rehabilitation of criminal offenders. It is the field of
criminal justice administration, which utilizes the body of knowledge and practices of the government
and the society in general involving the processes of handling individuals who have been convicted of
offenses for purposes of crime prevention and control.
It is a concept which describes both a wide range of diversified programs, agencies, and institutions and
an equaly broad range of philosophical goals, ideals, and theory about the nature of human's society,
crime, and the
criminal offender.
It is the study of jail or prison management and administration as well as the rehabilitation and
refomation of criminals
The reorientation of the criminal offenders and preventing them from repeating their deviant or
delinquent actions without the necessity of taking punitive actions but rather the introduction of
individual measures of reformation.
Penology (Penal Science)
It is the study of punishment for crime or criminal offenders. It includes the study of control and
prevention of crime through punishment of criminal offenders.
It can also be defined as the division of criminology that deals with prison management and the
treatment of offenders, and concerned itself with the philosophy and practice of society in its effort to
repress criminal activities.
The term is derived from the Latin word, "POENA" which means "pain or suffering'" and 'LOGOS which
means"to study
Penal Management The manner or practice of managing or controlling places of confinement as in jails
or prisons.
Correctional Administration
management concerned with the custody, treatment, and rehabititation of criminal offender
In broader sense, its scope includes the history and development of correctional practices, theories and
philosophies, the role of correćtions in the administration of criminal justice: laws and legal issuances
relating to correctional administration; the management and operation of all institutional correctional
systems such as the national prison and penal forms, the jails at the provincial, district and
city/municipal levels relative to programs on the diagnosis, classification, handling, treatment and
rehabilitation of offenders, and study of the United Nations Standards on Minimum Rules on the
Treatment of Offenders.
Likewise, the historical background and theories relating to non-institutional corrections such as
probation parole and other forms of executive clemency; the implementation of the Philippine Adlult
Probation Law, as amended, the Indeterminate Sentence Law, as amended and such other laws and
legal issuances to implement executive clemency
Punishment
against an offending member of society that usually involves pain and suffering
a. Retribution.
The punishment should be provided by the state whose sanction is violated to afford the society or the
individual the opportunity of imposing upon the offender suitable punishment as might be enforced.
Offenders should be punished because they deserve it.
b.Expiation/Atonement
vengeance
c. Deterrence (SG)
showing to others what would happen to them if they violate the law
Specific deterrence- The form of deterrence that is attributed to the offender himself.
The public will be protected if the offender has being held in condition where he cannot harm others
especially the public.
e. Reformation/Rehabilitation
a. Hard Labor
b. Corporal Punishment
Imposing brutal punishment or employing physical for to intimidate a delinquent inmate
c. Deprivation
essentials of existence.
d. Degradation
The act of uttering insulting words or language on the part of prison staff for the prisoners to degrade or
break
e. Uniformity
f. Monotony
The act of giving the same food that is "off diet, or requiring the prisoners to perform drab or boring
daily routine.
g. Mass Movement
Implementation of mass living in cellblocks, mass eating, mass recreation, mass bathing.
The imposition of non-communication and limited news to a prisoner. The offender is known as The lone
wolf
Penalty
It is the suffering inflicted by the state to an offender for the transgression of law.
Penalty must change the attitude of offenders and become a law abiding citizen.
b. Certain
d. Legal
e. Equal
f. Personal
g. Productive of Suffering
The offender must feel the suffering but without however affecting the integrity of the human
personality.
Capital Punishment
Afflictive
Correctional
Light
1. Ancient (DCSB)
a. Death Penalty
crucifying, strangling, stoning, feeding to the wild animals and other forms of medieval executions.
Garrote
where the condemned person is seated on an improvised chair with both hands and feet tied and the
neck clamped by the iron collar, which is slowly tightened until the condemned person dies
Guillotine
persons developed by Dr Joseph lgnacio Guillotine, a member of the French National Assembly.
Musketry/Firing Squad
hands tied at the back and shot in public by a firingsquad composed of several shooters
Flaying
of skin from the body. Generally, an attempt is made to keep the removed portion of skin intact
It is done by putting the offender into shame or humiliation like pillory/gibbeting (public scorn).
Pillory
clamps the head and arms of the offender while he stood before the public.
d. Banishment/ Exile
sending or puting away of an offender which was caried out either by prohibition against coming into a
specified territory. For over ten years the person will be exiled and this is derived from the vote of
citizens
2. Contemporary (DIFPP)
a. Destierro
banishing a person from the place where he committed a crime, prohibiting him to get near or enter 25
kilometers (but not more than 250 kilometer) perimeter radius.
b. Imprisonment
It is the act of putting the offender in the prison for the purpose of protecting the public at the sametime
rehabilitating the prisoners.
c. Fine
criminal act.
d. Probation
conviction of an offense, the penalty of which does not exceed six years imprisonment, is released
subject to the conditions imposed by the releasing court.
e. Parole
a. Mamertime Prison
was built under the main sewer of Rome in 64 B.C. by Ancus Maritus
b. Bridewell Workhouse
England, which was built for the employment and house of English prisoners.
Philadelphia. It was converted into a state prison and became the first American penitentiary.
d. Dartmoor Prison
e. Alcatraz Prison
March 21, 1963. It was closed primarily because it was too costly, an operation estimated were that
repairs alone would run between $4.5 and $5 million
2 The Two (2) Rival Prison System in the History of Correction (AP)
during the night and congregate work in shops during the day.
night where they lived, slept, ate and receive religious instructions.
penology because it had the elements of a modern system. This ideal prison system quickly began to
take form in NewYork.
in reaction to the growing pessimism surounding the penitentiary, participants at the 1870 American
Prison Congress applied the ideas and practices of Sir Walter Crofton and Alexander Maconochie.
dreaming to have a peaceful, secure and stable community. Unfortunately, it has remained a dream in
the Philippine society today because of lawlessness, which hampers economic growth, undermines
political stability and jeopardizes internal safety and security.
They would be foreign investors could not come and transact business in the country due to the
different threats and dangers that might be vast sources of jobs for Our countrymen. Likewise, nobody
Could just go home anytime he wishes because of the possible loss of life, limb or properties.
Consequently, crime prevention and control remain a top priority of the government. Apparently, a
variety of measures are being used to counteract the growing menace of crime such as improvement of
judicial system, legislation of penal laws, reorganization of police agencies and correctional institutions
and providing financial assistance to offenders for them to join the fold of society.
The criminal justice system is trying its best to reduce criminality, maintain peace and order and ensure
a public safety and the internal security in the country in order to protect its constituents. All of the
components of the said justice system coordinate With each other and they are working hand on hand
in order to give justice to the offended party by imposing the proper punishment to the offender
All the pillars play very important and crucial roles in preventing, controlling and reducing crimes
It comprises all the means used to enforce those standards of conduct which are deemed necessary to
protect individuals and to maintain general community well-
being.
In broad terms, a system of criminal justice system creates the laws governing social behavior, attempts
to prevent violations of the laws, and apprehends, judges, and
It is also defined as "the machinery of the state or government which enforces the rules of conduct
necessary to protect life and property and maintain peace and order".
Corrections
Considered as the 4th pillar, Corrections holds an indispensable role of trying to undertake rehabilitation
and reformation services for the convicted offenders. This is oneway of reducing the number of criminal
activities and
Modern Penology Doctrines have afforded our community with progressive and innovative programs
such as parole and probation.
Those are accepted as integral parts of the Philippines Correction Administration. This enables individual
offenders to be treated and rehabilitated by utilizing the advantages offered by community living.
However, not all convicted criminals are entitled to such privileges. It depends on their personal
circumstances and manifest capacity to change. At present, majority
convicts are serving long sentences in our state prisons and those serving short sentences are confined
in the jails.
Inmates
The population of jail and prison including penal farms and penal colonies, except the personne!.
(HOPIA)
Points of Distinction
.Head of institution
- Superintendent-Warden
.Offense
.Penalty
.Inmates
.Administration
-Bureau of Correćtions-Bureau of Jail management and Penology, in the case of provincial jail, it is under
provincial government.
The Correctional System in the Philippines is composed of six agencies under three distinct and
separate departments of the national government:
Department of Interior And Local Government (DILG) under this are the Bureau of Jail Management and
Penology (BJMP) which runs the city, municipal, and district jails; and the provincial jails through their
respective provincial governments.
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-under this is Juvenile and Justice Welfare
Council which oversees the rehabilitation of young offenders
Department of Justice (DOJ) - under this are the Bureau of Corrections, Parole and Probation
Administration and the Board of Pardons and Parole.
Offenders convicted by the courts to serve sentences of three years or more are kept at the prison
facilities of the Bureau of Corrections: they are classified as national pisoners. those meted with lighter
sentences, as well as those with pending cases before the regional trial courts, are confined in provincial
jails under the local government; while those awaiting trial in municipal trial courts or serving light
penalties (e.g., infraction of city or municipal ordinances) are detained in city, municipal or district jails
under the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology. Juvenile delinquents are normally sent to youth
rehabilitation centers under the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council pursuant to R.A. 9344 unless the
sentencing judge specifically orders for them to be confined at the national penitentiary, as in cases
where the juvenile convict acted with discernment or the offense committed was grave.
During the pre-colonial times, the informal prison system was community-based, as there were no
national penitentiaries to speak of. Natives who defied or violated the local laws were meted
appropriate penalties by the local chieftains. Incarceration in the community was only meant to prevent
the culprit from further harming the local residents
The formal prison system in the Philippines started only during the Spanish regime, where an organized
corrective service was made operational. Established in1847 pursuant to Section 1708 of the Revised
Adminisirative Code and formally opened by Royal Decree in 1865, the Old Bilibid Prison was
constructed as the main penitentiary on Oroquieta Street, Manila and designed to house the prison
population of the country. This prison became known as the"Carcel y Presidio Correccional" and could
accommodate
1,127 prisoners.
The Carcel was designed to house 600 prisoners who were segregated according to class, sex and crime
while the Presidio could accommodate 527 prisoners. Plans for the construction of the prison were first
published on September 12, 1859 but it was not until April 10, 1866 that the entire facility was
completed.
The prison occupied a quadrangular piece of land 180 meters long on each side, which was fomerly a
part of the Mayhalique Estate in the heart of Manila,. It housed a building for the offices and quarters of
the prison warden,and 15 buildings or departments for prisoners that were arranged in a radial way to
form spokes. The central tower formed the hub. Under this tower was the chapel. There were four cell-
houses for the isolated prisoners and four isolated buildings located on the four corners of the walls,
which served as kitchen, hospital and stores. The prison was divided in the middle by a thick wall. One-
half of the enclosed space was assigned to Presidio prisoners and the other half to Carcel prisoners.
hospitals as well as new dormitories for the prisoners were added. A carpentry shop was organized
within the confines of the facility. For sometimes, the shop became a tradermark for fine workmanship
of furniture made by prisoners. At this time, sales of handicrafts were done through the institutions and
inmates were compensated depeding on the availability of funds. As a consequence, inmates often had
to sell through the retail or barter their products.
On August 21, 1869, the San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in Zamboanga City was established to
confine Muslim rebels and recalcitrant political prisoners opposed to the Spanish rule. The facility, which
faced the Jolo sea had Spanish-inspired dormitories and was originally set on a 1,414-hectare sprawling
estate.
When the Americans took over in the 1900s, the Bureau of Prisons was created under the
Reorganization Act of 1905 (Act No. 1407 dated November 1, 1905) as an agency under the Department
of Commerce and Police.
It also paved the way for the re-establishment of San Ramon Prison in 1907 which was destroyed during
the Spanish-American War. On January 1, 1915, the SanRamon Prison was placed under the auspices of
the Bureau
Before the reconstruction of San Ramon Prison the Americans established in 1904 the luhit penal
settlement (now lwahig Prison and Penal Farm) on a vast reservationof 28,072 hectares. It would reach a
total land area of 40,000 hectares in the late 1950s. Located on the western most partof the archipelago
far from the main town to confine in corrigibles with little hope of rehabilitation, the area was expanded
to 41,007 hectares by virtue of Executive OrderNo. 67 issued by Governor Newton Gilbert on October
15,.1912.
Other penal colonies were established during the American regime. On November 27, 1929, the
Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) was created under Act No. 3579 to provide separate facilities
for women offenders while the Davao Penal Colony in Southern Mindanao was opened in1932 under
Act No. 3732.
The increasing number of committals to the Old Bilibid Prison, the growing urbanization of Manila and
the constant lobbying by conservative groups prompted the government to plan and develop a new site
for the national penitentiary, which was to be on the outskirts of the urban center. Accordingly,
Commonwealth Act No.67 was
enacted, appropriating one milion (P1,000.000.00) pesos for the construction of a new national prison in
the southern suburb of Muntinlupa, Rizal in 1935. The old prison was transfomed into a receiving center
and a storage facility for farm produce from the colonies. It was later abandoned and is now under the
jurisdiction of the Public Estates Authority.
On November 15, 1940, all inmates of the Old Bilibid Prison in Manila were transferred to the new site.
The new institution had a capacity of 3,000 prisoners and it was officially named the New Biibid Prison
on January 22, 1941.The prison reservation has an area of 587 hectares, part of which was arable. The
prison compound proper had an area of 300 x 300 meters or a total of nine hectares. It was
Under Proclamation No. 72 issued on September 26, 1954, the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in
Occidental Mindoro was established. In The Leyte Regional Prison followed suit under Proclamation No.
1101 issued on January 16, 1973.
A committee report submitted to then President Carlos P. Garcia described Fort Bonifacio, formerly
known as Fort William McKinley, as a military reservation located in
Makati, which was established after the Americans came to the Philippines. The prison was originally
used as a detention center for offenders of US military laws and ordinances.
After the liberation of the Philippines, the reservation was transferred to the Philippine government,
which instructed the Bureau of Prisons to use the facility for the confinement of maximum security
prisoners. For several years, incorrigibles were mixed with political prisoners (those convicted of
rebellion) at the Fort Bonifacio facility until June 30, 1968, when it was converted into a prison
exclusively for political offenders. After a bloody April 1969 riot at the Muntinlupa facility, however,
incorigible prisoners from
During the administration of President Diosdado Macapagal, the Fort was renamed Fort Andres
Bonifacio. The correctional facility was also renamed Fort Bonifacio Prison. The one-story building now
stands on a one-hectare area.
The Fort Bonifacio Prison continued to be a satellite prison of the national penitentiary even after
martial law was lifted. It was only in the late 1980's that the facility was vacated by the Bureau of
Prisons.
Corregidor Prison Stockade:
In 1908 during the American regime, some 100 prisoners were transfered from the Old Bilibid Prison to
Corregidor Island to work under military authorities. This move was in accordance with an order from
the Department of Instructions, which approved the transfer of inmates so they could assist in
maintenance and other operations in the stockade.
The inmates were transported not to serve time but for prison labor. Until the outbreak of the Second
World War inmates from Old Bilibid Prison were regularly sent to Corregidor for labor purposes.
When the War broke out, prisoners on Corregidor were returned to Bilibid Prison. The island prison was
never reopened.
Bontoc Prison:
The Philippine Legislature during the American regime passed Act No. 1876 providing for the
establishment of a prison in Bontoc in Mountain Province. The prison was built for the prisoners of the
province and insular prisoners who were members of the non-Christian tribes of Mountain Province and
Nueva Viscaya.
Bontoc prison could be reached only through narrow, poorly developed mountain roads. Due to the
enormous expenses incurred in transporting personnel, equipment and supplies to the prison, the
facility was closed.
BUREAU OF CORRECTIONS
The lead agency under the Department of Justice (DOJ) that has general supervision and control of all
national prisons or penitentiaries and in-charge with the safekeeping of all Insular/National Prisoners
confined therein or committed to the custody of the Bureau. It is the fomer Bureau of Prison.
Corrections under Executive Order 292 passed during the Aquino Administration which states that the
head of the Bureau of Corrections is the Director of Prisons who is appointed by the President of the
Philippines with the Confirmation of the Commission of Appointments.
Mission
Protect the public and prevent crimes in partnership with stakeholders by providing persons under
custody opportunities for refomation, decent environment and secure settings.
Vision
Mandate
The Bureau of Corections is mandated by law to accomplish its twin objectives. The Effective
Rehabilitation and Safekeeping of National Prisoners
Organization
Administrative
Accounting
Management
General Services
Industry Development
Legal
Education
Informatiorn Technology
Documents
Functions
1. Safe keep prisoners convicted by courts three (3) years and one (1) day and above to senve sentence
in prison.
4 Ensure rehabilitation programs are made available to the inmates for their physical,
5. Develop livelihood programs to assist inmates earn a living and develop their skills while in prison
The projected increase in the prison population prompted the government to plan and develop a new
site for the national penitentiary. The growing urbanization of the
Manila and constant lobbying by conservative groups fueled the idea of transferring the Old Bilibid
Prison to a new site, which at the time was considered remote and on the outskirts of the urban center
Accordingly, Commonwealth Act No. 67 was enacted, appropriating one million pesos for the
construction of a new national prison in Muntinlupa.
Bilibid Prison in Manila were transferred to the new site. The new institution had a capaciy of 3,000
prisoners and it was officially named the New Bilibid Prison on January 22, 1941.The prison reservation
had an area of 587 hectares, part of which was arable. The prison compound proper had an area of 300
x 300 meters or a total of ninè hectares. It was surounded by three layers of barbed wire.
The institution became the maximum security compound in the 70s and continues to be so. The camp
houses not only death convicts and inmates sentenced to life term, but also those with numerous
pending cases, multiple convictions, and sentences of more than 20 years.
After World War , there was a surfeit of steel matting in the inventory and it was used to improve the
security fence. In the late 60s, fences were further reinforced with concrete slabs. In the 1980s, the
height of the concrete wall was increased and another facility was constructed, 2.5 Kilometers from the
main building. This became known as Camp Sampaguita or the Medium Security Camp.
The NBP expanded with the construction of new security facilities. These were the Medium Security
Camp which was used as a military stockade during martial law and the Minimum Security Camp, whose
first site was christened Bukang Liwayway. This was trensferred to another Site within the reservation
where the former depot was situated.
The increase in the prison population has affected the segregation system. Several foreign funded
projects dot the prison reservation, among them, the Half Way House and the Juvenile Training Center.
Both projects are supported by funds from Japan through the representation of the Interdisciplinary
Committee of NAPOLCOM.
The Davao Penal Colony is the first penal founded and organized under Filipino
settlement administration. The settlement, which originally had an area of approximately 30,000
hectareś in the districts of Panabo and Tagum, Davao del Norte, was formaly established on January 21,
1932 by virtue of Act No. 3732. This Act authorized the Governor-General to lease or sell the lands,
buildings and improvements in San Ramon Prison and Iwahig Penal Colony. It also granted authority to
the Secretary of Justice to establish a new prison and penal colony in a suitable public land. A budget of
P500,000 was allocated. Several committees were created to pick a suitable site for the penal
settlement. In accordance with l there commendation of these committees, Governor Dwight Davis
signed Proclamation No. 414 on October 7, 1931,which reserved a site for the penal colony in Davao
province in Mindanao. The site offered ideal conditions for agricultural activities.
During World War ll, the colony was converted into a concentration camp where more than 1,000
Japanese internees were committed by the Philippine-American Armed Forces. The Japanese were
treated in accordance with the orders of the American commanding officer.
Forces attacked Davao and the colony was among the establishmerts taken over by the invading army.
The entire settlement was thrown into confusion and a great number of prisoners escaped. Normal
operations were inevitably disturbed. November 8, 1942, a representetive of the Director of Prisons
transferred the colony and its properties
to the Japanese authorities. The remaining colony employees, their families and the inmates evacuated
to Iwahig where they organized the Davao Penal Colony at Inagawan sub colony (Palawan). The
organization of the colony in exile was authorized by virtue of Memorandum Order No. 60 dated June
28, 1943 and signed by the Director of Prisons
After the liberation of the Philippines, the colony-in-exile in Palawan returned to its old site in Davao. A
great deal of rebuilding and repair had to be done because the war had almost completely destroyed
the colony.
This facility was established during the American Occupation. It was however, during the Spanish regime
that Puerto Princesa was designated as a place where offenders sentenced to banishment were exiled. A
specific area of Puerto Princesa was selected as the site for a corectional facility. The American military
carved out a prison facility in the rain forest of Puerto Princesa. The institution had for its first
Superintendent Lt. George Wolfe, a member of the U.S. expeditionary force, who later became the first
prisons director.
the establishment of a penal colony in the province of Palawan on November 16, 1904.This penal
settlement, which
originally comprised an area of 22 acres, originally served asba depository for prisoners who could not
be accommodated at the Bilibid Prison in Manila. In 1906, however, the
Department of Commerce and Police (which later became the Department of Public Instruction) moved
to turn the supervised ininstitution into the center of a penal colony accordance with trends at the
time.Through the department's efforts, the Philippine Commission of the United States govemment
passed Act No. 1723 in 1907 classifying the settlement as a penal institution.
The settlement was at first beset by attempted escapes. But under the supervision of Col. John R. White
of the Philippine Constabulary, become who would
Superintendent of lwahig in 1906, the colony became a successful settlement. A merit system was
devised for the prisoners and vocational activities were offered. These include farming, fishing, forestry,
carpentry, and hospital paramedical work. Prisoners could choose the vocational activities they wanted.
In 1955, Administrative Order No.20 was promulgaled by the President and implemented by the
Secretary of Justice and the Secretary of Agriculture ang Natural Resource.This order allowed the
distribution of colony lands for cultivation by deserving colonists. The order also contained a list of
qualifications for colonists who wished to apply for a lot to cultivate, the conditions for the settler's stay
in his land, loan requirerments and marketing of the settlers produce. Lots granted did not exceed six
hectares
On August 16, 1959, a committee was created by President Carlos P. Garcia to study the state of
national prisons. Accordingly, prisoners in lwahig were divided into two groups the settlers and
colonists. The settlers are those engaged in farming for their own benefit; they are the ones whose
applications for land to cultivate have been approved. The government furnishes the land and initial
requirements for tools, dwellings and beast of burden. They are required to reimburse expenditures
incurred for their maintenance and that of their families out of the products of their farms. Upon their
release from the colony, they receive whatever amount of money they have credited in their favor, after
deducting the obligations they have.
Iwahig is subdivided into four zones ordistricts: Central sub-colony with an area of 14,700 hectares, Sta.
Lucia with 9,685 hectares; Montible with 6,000 hectares and Inagawan with 13,000 hectares.
proclamations have dramatically reduced the size of the prison reservation of lwahig.
According to historical accounts, the San Ramon Prison was established in southern Zamboanga on
August 21,1870 through a royal decree promulgated in1869. Established during the tenure of Governor
General Ramon Blanco (whose patron saint the prison was named after), the facility was originally
established for persons convicted of political crimes.
Considered the oldest penal facility in the country, prisoners in San Ramon were required to do
agricultural Work.
prisoners in San Ramon were hastily released and the buildings destroyed. in 1907, the American
administration re-established the prison farm. In 1912, Gen. John Pershing, chief executive of the
Department of Mindanao and Sulu, classified the institution as a prison and penal colony and therein
confined people sentenced by the courts under his jurisdiction. Under Pershing's supervision, several
buildings with a capacity for 600 prisoners were constructed. After several years, the colony became
practically self supporting, with 75,000 coconut trees, which were planted at the beginning of Pershing's
administration, contributing to the colony's self-sufficiency. Aside from coconuts, rice, corn, papaya and
other crops were also cultivated.
On November 1, 1905, Reorganization Act No.
1407 was approved creating the Bureau of Prisons under the Department of Commerce and Police,
integrating the Old Bilibid Prison, San Ramon Penal Colony and Iwahig Penal The Philippine Coconut
Authority took over managerment of the coconut farm from San Ramon.
In 1995, Congresswoman Maria Clara Lobregat proposed the transfer of San Ramon Prison to Bongiao
town, in the mountainous area of Zamboanga, to give way to a special economic zone.
Nearer to Manila than other penal colonies, the Sablayan Penal Colony is located in Occidental Mindoro
and relatively new. Estabished on September 26, 1954 by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 72, the
penal colony has a total land area of approximately 16,190 hectares.
Prison records show that the first colonists and employees arrived in Sablayan on January 15, 1955.
Since then several buildings have been constructed, including the colonists domitories, employees
quarters, guardhouse, schoolhouse, chapel, recreation hall, and post - Exchange.
is a reservation which this day remains part of a protected rainforest. Another is in a coastal area. The
third was used by the national government as a relocation site for refugees from the eruption of Mt
Pinatubo eruption in 1991
Sablayan prison is a facility where prisoners from NBP are brought for decongestion purposes. It follows
the same colony standards as other penal farms.
The Leyte Regional Prison, situated in Abuyog. Southen Leyte, was established a year after the
declaration of martial law in 1972 by virtue of Presidential Decree No 28. While its plantilla and
institutional plan were almost ideal lack of funds made the prison unable to realize its full potential and
its facilities are often below par compared with those of other established penal farms.
The LRP has an inmate capacity of 500. It follows the same agriculitural format as the main correctional
program in addition to some rehabilitation activites. The prison admits convicted offenders from Region
VI and from the national penitentiary in Muntinlupa.
Correctional Institution for Women
In a report dated January 22, 1959, submitted to a committee created by Administrative Order No. 287
by the President of the Philippines, it was noted that before a separate building was constructed
especialy for women prisoners, all female convicts were confined at the Old Bilibid Prison on Azcarraga
St., Manila. The male prisoners were confined in dormitories near the women quarters. Because of
these conditions, vocational activities of the women prisoners were limited to embroidery.
when they became ill, the women were confined in a separate building which served as a hospital with
nurses and prison physicians. When women prisoners needed surgery, they were operated on at the
Bilibid Prison. After the operation, they were transferred to the intirmary for convalescence"
Prison authorities were aware of the conditions that the women prisoners had to endure. Consequently,
the transfer of the women to a separate site became inevitable. After a series of negotiations started by
Prison Director Ramon Victorio, the Philippine Legislature passed Republic Act No. 3579 in November,
1929. It authorized the transfer of all women inmates to a building in Welfareville at Mandaluyong, Rizal
and appropriated P60,000 for the move.
On February 14, 1931, the women prisoners were transferred from the Old Bilibid Prison to the building
especially constructed for them. lts old name, "Women's Prison, was changed to "Correctional In
stitution for Women. This was in keeping with emerging trends in penology, which emphasized
correction rather than punishment. Convicts were brought back into the social mainstream adjusted and
rehabilitated with a better outlookin life
CIW, according to a Senate report, occupied 18 hectares. The original structure was a one-story building
which housed the office, the brigades, mess hall, kitchen, chapel, infirmary, bathrooms and employees'
restrooms. The building has a central courtyard with trees and flowering plants. The prisoners vocational
activities were expanded to include poultry and piggery as well as cultivation of crops, flowers and fruits.
Living quarters for the institution's employees were later constructed in the compound. During the
Japanese Occupation, the CIW, despite a drastic reduction in the number of its employees, continued
with its work. A number of female military prisoners were also confined in the institution. They were
later freed by the U.S. Army.
operations. Weekly catechism classes were introduced. A dental clinic was built. Local telephones were
installed in the guards' quarters. The Bureau of Public Works made major repairs on the main building
and a workshop and infirmary were constructed for the inmates' use. The infirmary during that time
could accommodate around 16 patients.
In 2000, a new four-story building was constructed by the Department of Public Works within the
grounds of CIW It eased the growing congestion in the facility. The CIW, with a capacity for only 200
inmates, had to accommodate 1,000 inmates
This is a special unit of prison (Camp Sampaguita) where new prisoners undergo diagnostic examination,
study and observation for the purpose of detemining the programns of treatment and training best to
their needs and the institution to which they should be transferred.
It was established by Administrative Order no. 8 series of 1953 of the Department of Justice
The first RDC facility was created in Building no. 9 of the Maximum Security Compound of the New
Bilibid Prison (NBP), Muntinlupa City.
In a move to isolate the facility from the troubled maximum security wing then experiencing violence in
1973, RDC was relocated to Building no. 7, formerly refered to as Metro Jail of Medium Security
Compound of Camp Sampaguita, NBP.
To further insulate the newly received inmates from gang related exposures, the Center was transfered
to the previous military command post adjacent the Medium Security facility where it is presently
situated.
Convicts committed to the BUCOR for confinement are brought for admission at the RDC. The RDC at
the New Bilibid reservation will receive prisoners coming from all over the country EXCEPT those
sentenced by courts having jurisdiction for the provinces of Zamboanga Del Norte and Del Sur, Basilan,
Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi will be brought to the
Sentenced prisoners slapped with the death penalty are not eligible for admission and classification at
the RDC, the SC brings them directly to the death row where they will wait automatic review of their
case.
Female inmates for incarceration as national
prisoners or those with more than three years maximum sentence will be brought directly to the CIW
Psychiatrist
Psychologist
Sociologist
Educational Counselor
Vocational Counselor
Chaplain
Medical Officer
This may be a unit of the pison or a section of the RDC where the prisoner is given thorough physical
examination including blood test, x-rays, vaccination and immunity. This is for the purpose of insuning
that the prisoner is not suffering from any contagious disease, which might be transferred to the prison
population.
The newly received inmates will stay at the RDC for a period of sixty (60) days of which at least five (5)
days of it, the inmate wll stay at the quarantine cell.
1. Receiving
The new prisoner is received at the RDC. The new prisoner usually from provincial or city jail where he
was immediately committed upon conviction by the court, and escorted by the escort platoon during his
transfer to the National Bilibid Prison. (Female inmates are received at the CIW)
papers if they are in order. To make sure that it contains the signature of the judge or the signature of
the clerk of court, and the seal of the court
Mittimus
It is a warrant issued by a court directing the jail or prison authorities to receive the convicted offender
for the service of sentence imposed therein or for detention.
3. Identification
The prisoner's identity is established through the picture and fingerprint appearing in the commitment
order. This is to insure that the person being committed is the same as the person being named in the
commitment order.
4. Searching
This step involves the frisking of the prisoner and searching his personal things. Weapons and other
items Classified "contraband" are confiscated and deposited to the property custodian. Other properties
are deposited with the trust fund officer under recording and receipts.
The prisoner will be briefed and oriented on the rules and regulations of the prison before he will be
assigned to the RDC of the quaranine unit.
1. Giving the prisoners a booklet of rules and regulations and explaining the rules to them.
2. Conducting group meeting of the center to explain to the inmates the available treatment programs
and the purpose of these treatment programs.
3. Holding sessions with the members of the Center's staff to explain what the inmates should do in
order to profit most from their experiences.
Prisonization
It is the process by which an inmate learns, through socialization, the rules and regulations of the prison
culture.
Diversification in Prison
An administrative device and Correcional institutions of providing varied and flexible types of physical
plants for more effective custody, security and control of the treatment programs of the diversified
population.
It may also be defined as the principle of separating homogeneous types of prisoners according to age,
sex, medical and mental condition and degree of custody.
Aims of Diversification
contamination.
Diversification can be done through building special institutions for different classes of prisoners through
proper segregation of inmates.
Factors to consider: (1) Age and gender, (2) medical and mental condition and (3) degree of custody.
Prison Classification
These are method by which diagnosis, treatment, planning, and execution of program are coordinated in
the individual case. It may also refer to the best program to be adopted for the rehabilitation of inmates
according to the needs and existing resources.
1. Diagnosis
2. Treatment Planning
prograrn.
4. Re-classification
1. Prisoners on Safekeeping
are detained in order to protect the community against their harmful behavior
3. Sentenced Prisoners
a. After the lapse of perfecting an appeal, which is 15 days upon promulgation of judgment;
Those sentenced to suffer a term of sentence of 3 years and 1 day to life imprisonment. Those
sentenced to suffer a term of imprisonment cited above but appealed the judgment and unable to file a
bond for their temporary liberty
2. Provincial Prisoners
imprisonment from 6 months and 1 day to 3 years or a fine not more than 1,000 pesos or both; those
detained therein waiting for preliminary investigation of their cases cognizable by the RTC.
3. City Prisoners
imprisonnent from 1 day to 3 years or a fine of not more than 1,000 pesos or both. Those detained
therein whose cases are filed with the MTC
4. Municipal Prisoners
imprisonment from 1 day to 6 months. Those detained therein whose trials of their cases are pending
with the MTC
incorrigible, intractable, and highly dangerous persons.They wear orange color of uniform.
security of the state thereby, movements are restricted and they are not allowed to work the institution
but rather assigned to industrial shops within the prison in the compound.
They are confined at the Maximum Security Prison (NBP Main Building) and they wear orange color of
unifom.
a. sentenced to death
posses lesser danger than the maximum. They maybe allowed work outside the fence or walls of the
penal institution, but under guards or escorts.
They occupy the Medium Security Prison (Camp Sampaguita) and they wear blue color or uniform.
sentence
d. Those who have 2 or more escape records but have served 8 years since recommitment
e. Those first time offender sentenced to life imprisonment who have served at least five years as
maxımunm security.
b. 65 years old and above and not on appeal or without pending case
c. Those who have served at least 1/2 of their mininum sentence or 1/3 of their maximum sentence
excluding GCTA
a sentenced inmate. Except those imprisoned for non-payment of fine and those who had been reduced
from a higher class.
work while in detention earned assignment to this class upon start of sentence, one who is promoted
from second class.
4. Colonist
immediately preceding the completion of the period specified. It includes inmates who have served
imprisonment with GCTA for a period equivalent to 1/5 of the maximum term of his sentence or 7 years
in the case of a life sentence.
1. Automatic Reduction of the life sentence imposed on the colonist to sentence of 30 years.
2. Credit of an additional GCTA of 5 days for each calendar month while he retains said classification
aside from the regular GCTA.
6. Have his Wife and children, or the woman he desires to marry to live with him. (needs the approval of
the director)
8. The family avail all of the prison Facilities (hospitals,church, schools free of charge)
Jail System
Jail
The word jail" was derived from the Spanish words "jaulo" and "caula" and French word "gaol", which
means a place for the confinement of persons convicted and sentenced to imprisonment or of persons
awaiting trial to whom bail is not granted.
It is a facility for temporary confinement of person awaiting trial or those who cannot afford to bail, or
those charge with capital offense (punishable with death) where evidence is strong. Also, these are
confinement for those serving short term sentences for minor crimes, or for a period
a. Lock-Up
A security facility, common to police stations, used for temporary confinement of an individual held for
investigation.
b. Ordinary
The type of jail commonly used to detain a convicted criminal offender to serve sentence less than three
years.
It provides full employment of prisoners, remedial services and constructive leisure time activities.
History of BJMP
On January 2, 1991, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology was created thru Republic Act 6975 as
a line Bureau under the Department of Interior and Local Government. The Jail Bureau is the upgraded
version
of its forerunner, the Office of Jail Management and Penology of the defunct PC/INP last headed by BRIG
GEN Arsenio E. Concepcion.
As mandated by law, the BJMP shall operate under the reorganized Department of the Interior and Loca
Government.
Starting from scratch with 500 personnel in 1991 the BJMP weaned from its mother PC/INP as a mere
component, to become a full-fledge bureau. Director Charles S. Mondejar took his oath of office on July
1 of 1991as the first Chief of the Bureau.
Supervises and controls all district, city and municipal jails. Prominent figures later succeeded Director
Mondejar after retirement, J/SR SUPT BASILIO G CAEL(Oct. 31, 1995 to Jan. 2, 1996); J/C SUPT SILAS V
LAURIO (Jan 2, 1996 to July 13, 1997); J/SR SUPT. JOSUE GENGANO (July 14, 1997 to June 30, 1998), P/M
GEN AQUILINO G JACOB JR (July 8, 1998 to March 30, 2001).
CESO IV took his oath of office as Officer-in-Charge and was given his directorship rank on December 14,
2003 to May 9, 2006 as Chief of the Bureau.
appointed as Officer-in-Charge on May 9, 2006 to Dec 5,2006. CSUPT CLARITO GUIRHEM JOVER, Ph.D.
(CESoV) was later appointed OlC on December 18, 2006 to February 20, 2007.
also referred to as the Jail Bureau, was created pursuant to Section 60 to 65, Chapter V, RA No. 6975,
and initially consisting of uniformed officers and members of the Jail Management and Penology service
as constituted under Presidential Decree No. 765.
RA 9263 provides that the Bureau shall be headed by a Chief who is assisted by two (2) Deputy Chiefs,
one (1) for Administration and another for Operations, and one (1) Chief of Directorial Staff, all of whom
are appointed by the President upon the recommendation of the DILG Secretary from among the
qualified officers with the rank of at least Senior Superintendent in the BJMP
The Chief of the BJMP carries the rank of Director and serves a tour of duty that must not exceed four
(4) years, unless extended by the President in times of war and other national emergencies. Officers who
have or are within six (6) months from their compulsory retirement age are not qualified to be
appointed as Jail Director or designated as BJMP Chief.
The second officer in command of the BJMP is the Deputy Chief for Administration, the third officer in
command is the Deputy Chief for Operations, and the fourth officer in command is The Chief of the
Directorial Staff, all of whom cary the rank of Chief Superintendent. They are assisted by the Directors of
the Directorates in the National Headquarters who carry the rank of at least Senior Superintendent.
Offices in each of the administrative regions of the country, headed by a Regional Director for Jail
Management and Penology, with the rank of at least Senior Superintendent.The Regional Director is
assisted by an Assistant Regional Director for Administration, Assistant Regional Director for Operations,
and Regional Chief of Directoriai Staff, who are all officers with the rank of at least Superintendent.
The National Headquarters is the Command and Staff Office of the BJMP, and is composed of the
Command Group, Directorates and Management Support Staff,namely
Command Group:
1) Chief, BJMP
Directorates
Management
Support Services
Regional office
Offices in each of the administrative regions of the country headed by a Regional Director for Jail
Management and Penology with the rank of at least Senior Superintendent. The Regional Director is
assisted by an Assistant Regional Director for Administration, Assistant Regional Director for Operations,
and Regional Chief of Directorial Staff, who are all officers with the rank of at least Superintendent
maintains a Provincial Jail Administrator's Office headed by a Provincial Administrator, to oversee the
implementation of jail services of all district, city and municipal jails within its
territorial jurisdiction.
District Jail
Municipal Jails, each headed by a City or Municipal Warden, as the case may be.
Mission
providing humane safekeeping and development of inmates in all distrnict, city and municipal jails.
Vision
The BJMP envisions its elf as a dynamic institution highly regarded for its sustained humane safekeeping
and development of inmates.
Power
The Bureau of Jail shall exercise supervision and.control over all districts, city and municipal jails to
ensure a secured, clean, sanitary and adequately equipped jail for the Custody and safekeeping of city
and municipal prisoners any fugitive from justice or persons detained awaiting investigation or trial
and/or transfer to the National penitentiary, and any violent, mentally ill person who endangers himself
or the safety of others.
Functions (PIFR)
1 Formulate Policies and guidelines on the administration of all districts, city and municipal jails
nationwide
2 Fomulate and implement policies for the programs of connection, rehabiitation and treatment of
oftenders;
4. Conduct Researchers, develop and implement plans and programs for the improvement of jail
services throughout the country.
Mandate
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.
3. Decongestion program
4. Good Governance
1. Commitment
4. Teamwork
3 Responsive Planning
4. Timely Decision-Making
5. Expedient Implementation
.Director/Chief of BJMP/President
.C/Supt/Deputy C/BJMP/President
-Administration
-Operation
-Administration
-Operation
.Chief Insp./Warden/Same
.S/Insp./Warden/Same
.Insp./Warden/Same
Warden
Responsible for the direction, coordination and control of jails and the security, safety, discipline and
well being of inmates.
The office of the warden may organize the following units: (IRI)
Assistant Warden
process of treatment and also acts as the Chairman of the Classification Board and Disciplinary Board
Classification Board
Shall be tasked with gathering of information and other data of inmate into a case study to determine
the work assignment, type of supervision and degree of custody and restictions.
Composition:
Chairman - A/Warden;
Disciplinary Board
Tasked to investigate the facts of the alleged
misconduct of an inmate referred by the warden. All cases must be decided within 48 hours from the
date of receipt.
a. Reprimand
Assignment of personnel.
Procedures of selection.
Take charge of the preparation of the daily menu, prepares and cook.
Responsible for the maintenance and repair of jail facilities and equipments.
Tasked to receive court decisions and compute the date of the full completion of the service of sentence
imposed therein or for detention.
The unit which provides a system of sound custody, security and control of inmates and their
movements and also responsible to enforce à prison or jail discipline.
i. Escort Section
b. Security Platoon
overall security of the jail compound including gates, guard posts and towers. They are also responsible
for the admitting and releasing unit.
1:6-Security
c. Ordinary Inmates
a. Supreme Court
b Court of Appeals
c. Sandiganbayan
a. Commitment Order
b. Medical Certificate
c. Complaint/ information
a. Desk Officer
credentials of the person bringing the inmate to detemine his/her/their identity and authority.
i. Commitment Order
ii. Information/Complaint
3. Examine the arrest report and the authenticity of the commitment order.
4. Take all cash and other personal property from the inmate, list them down on a receipt from
duplicate, duly signed by him/her and countersigned by the inmate.Original should be turned over to
the Jail Property Custodian for safekeeping and covered by a receipt.Receipt should be kept for the
record and duplicate should be given to the inmate.
5. All cash and other valuables of the inmate must be properly accounted.
1. Receives the documents from the DO and starts the booking procedures
markings, cuts, bruises, etc. and same shall be indicated in the jail booking report.
5. In a dialect that the inmate understands, he/she shall be apprised of the provisions of Art 29 of the
RPC asamended by RA 6127.
Carpeta
It is the institutional record of an inmate, which consist of his commitment order, the prosecutors
information and the decision of the trial court.
c. Medical Officer
condition of the inmate during the time he/she was brought to the jail.
2. Checks on the entries in the medical certificate to ascertain any discrepancies and records any
findings not indicated.
Orients the newly committed inmate of the rules and regulations of the jail.
f. Warden
Coordinate with concerned agencies regarding the case of inmate for speedy disposition and to furnish
them copy of the needed documents available.
PROVINCIAL JAILS
The provincial jails' organization, powers and functions are basically the same as that of district, city
and municipalities jails. Kindly see the discussion above. These are headed by provincial wardens who
are appointed by their respective provincial governors.
The provincial jails admission and classification procedures are basically the same as that of district, city
and municipal jails. Kindly see the discussion above.
Some Jail/ Prison Terminologies
Prison Slang
Calling - Donation/fund
Balukol - Corruption
Bato - Drugs
Kosa - number of gang who sacrifices life for benefit of the gang
Kangaroo court - Illicit, mock court convened by convicts to punish the violators of the code.
The ultimate Goals of Correctional Treatment are to reform, rehabilitate and eventually reintegrate
inmates to the community and become law abiding and productive Citizens.
Prison Programs (EL- SM - RT)
Rehabilitation can be facilitated by improving an inmate's academic and job skills. Records show that
many prisoners are poorly educated. Majority of them are elementary school drop outs or have not
even finished primary school. Prison education amounts to remedial schooling designed to prepare
inmates to obtain basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics.
In most correctional facilities, vocational programs are incorporated into job assignments and serve as
on-the-job training. The goal is to provide inmates with skills that will improve their eligibility for jobs
upon release. Most prison vocational training is geared toward traditional blue-collar employment in
areas such as electronics, auto mechanics and handicrafts.
At the Reception and Diagnostic Center, a basic computer literacy course with typing as a support course
is avaiiable for inmates who have finished at least high school level
Vocational training and social education focus on job readiness. The concern in these areas is life skills. If
inmates are to re-enter society and abstain from criminal activity, they must be employable and have
the basic tools necessary to function as responsible citizens.
The National Penitentiary has a college degree program and a tertiary degree correspondence course, in
addition to the regular secondary and compulsory basic literacy classes. Prisoners are strongly
encouraged by the BuCor authorities to enroll while serving their sentence and to advance their
academic skills.
programs, from agricultural to industrial. The purpose of the inmate work program is to keep the
inmates busy, and to provide them money for their personal expenses and their families as well as help
them acquire livelihood skills, in order that they may become productive citizens once they are released
and assimilated back into the mainstream of society.
Different prison and penal farms provide institutional work programs for inmates. At the Davao Penal
Colony, inmates work on the banana plantations of Tagum Development Company (TADECO) which has
a joint venture agreement with the Bureau. Similarly, the vast tracts of land at the lwahig Penal Colony
are developed and tilled by inmates to produce various agricultural products, thereby generating
income for the Bureau. The Sablayan Prison and Penal farm also provides agriculture and aquaculture
programs for inmates.
Director has encouraged agricultural and industrial production by providing farming implements,
tractors, fertilizers and other inputs in order to sustain this area of rehabilitation for inmates.
Inmates enjoy freedom of religion. All inmates are free to observe the rituals of their faith, with orderly
Conduct supervised by prison authorities. A religious guidance adviser or chaplain is assigned in every
prison and penal farm. The prison chaplain sets the stage forevery regular spiritual activity. He is an
officer of the institution who oversees the operation of the pison chapel. He is not only the spiritual
leader but also a counselor and adviser. Prisoners may be baptized or given other sacraments.
Religious Volunteer Officers, or RVOs belonging to different church groups provide weekly religious
activities ranging from bible studies, devotions, prayer meetings or praise and worship.
population, a Catholic Mass is a regular feature in spiritual activities of the prison communities.
Restrictions however, are imposed if, in the course of religious activities, security is compromised or a
program is too expensive.
Upon his initial commitment to the Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC), the inmate's medical history
is recorded and properly documented by the Medical Specialist. Medical infomation and mental status
examinations are given to ascertain his overall physical/mental fitness and whether he would be fit for
work. This forms part of the diagnostic process which will eventually determine the most appropriate
rehabilitation program for the inmate.
The principal medical care of inmates is provided through a 500-bed capacity hospital at the New Bilibid
Prisons and at six (6) other mini-hospitals or clinics in the six (6) other prison and penal farms. All
correctional
facilities have a full and competent staff of medical practitioners in charge of clinics, infimaries and
hospitals. These centers are capable of minor surgical laboratory
operations, examinations, radiology,
Other government and private hospitals are also tapped in the implementation of standards pertaining
to nutrition and protective health services for the prison Community
counseling techniques and therapy programs which address the psychological problems of inmates,
including suicidal thoughts and feelings of rejection which may lead to disruption of peace and order
within the prison compounds. When an inmate's ailment is beyond the competence of the in-house
medical doctors, the inmate is referred to a government hospital in accordance with prisorn rules and
under proper security escorts.
The inmates enjoy sunrise by participating in daily calisthenics. There are various indoor and outdoor
sports activities, programs, tournaments and leagues all year round, to include basketball, volleyball,
billiards, table tennis and chess. These sports competitions promote camaraderie among inmates, good
sportsmanship and team-building.
The latest addition is the newly constructed indoor sports center/gymnasium at the Maximum Security
Compound which boasts of competition-standard fIooring, sound system, locker rooms and bleachers.
recreational facilities for inmates, both for outdoor and indoor sports. Mini-body building gyms are
availabie in most prison facilties, incłuding the Muntinlupa Juvenile Training Center and the Therapeutic
Community Center for inmates with drug cases.
For music lovers and musically-inclined inmates numerous "videoke" centers are available. Musical
instruments are available for practice or for use in varietyshows
The TC approach has been continuously proven worldwide as an effective treatment and rehabilitation
modality among drug dependents, and have been noted to be effective in many prisons.
environment, he learns why he had developed his destructive habits, which led him to substance
abuse.The program modifies negative behavior and or atitudes while restoring self-confidence, and
prepares inmates for their re-integration into their families and friends as productive members of the
community. This behavioral modification program gradually re-shapes or re-structures the inmate within
a family-like environment, wherein every member acts as his brother's keeper.
activities, a strong sense of responsibility and concern for each others welfare are developed. They are
constantly being monitored for their progress and are regularly being evaluated by the TC-trained staff
The TC process allows for genuine introspection, cultivation of self-worth and positive rationalization
that move the individual towards assuming a greater sense of personal and moral responsibility
The efforts of the Bureau of Corrections to rehabilitate Drug dependents under its care using the TC
approach is in line with its commitment to create a Drug-Free Prison. Worldwide developments in the
treatment and rehabilitation of drug offenders using this therapeutic community approach have been
noted to be effective in many prisons.
Jail Programs
The following are the various jail programs for inmates that are basically similar to those of prison
programs
1. Health Service
3. Religious Services
7. Mail Services
3. Practice Religion
5. For detainee, wear Civilian clothes and to grow hairin his customary style
Inmate Communication
Guidelines: (SOP - E)
a. Mail shall be Secured until such time that the censors are ready to examine them.
b. Mail shall be Opened and searched by qualified, trained and authorized personnel.
c. Photographs shall be marked on the reverse side and placed in the envelope.
d. Greeting cards shall be carefully Examined and fillers of any kind found therein shall be collected for
laboratory examination.
Use of Telephone
a. All offenders who demonstrate good behaviors shall earn 1 telephone call to an authorized individual
every 90 days.
d. Foreign inmates - allowed to communicate with the diplomatic and consular representative of the
state where he or she is national.
e. Stateless inmate - no diplomatic representation (can communicate with diplomatic authorities of the
state
Inmate Manuscript
a. These are fiction, non-fiction poetry, music and lyric, drawings and cartoons, and other writing of a
similar nature made by an inmate.
b. Can be prepared as a form of general correspondence but cannot be circulated inside prison.
allowed
d. Sponsor in a reigious rite - prison officials are not allowed to become sponsors
Marriage of Inmates
c. There should be NO legal restriction to mamy and can be prohibited for security reasons
d. Inmates must be eligible to many and intended spouse must confim in writing.
h. No media publicity
Compensation Credits
a. Compensation is given 6 months after being pemanently assigned to work in prison But inmate must
be in good conduct
b. Shows interest and definite degree of progress in the particular work assigned
Compensation how applied? It may be forfeited and applied to the payment of supplies and equipment
lost or damaged resulting from the inmate's misconduct or willful negligence. One-half of the earnings
may be utilized by the inmate to purchase some of his needs. The remainder must be with held to be
paid upon release. It may be deposited in a Trust Fund.
except on Sundays and legal holidays in and about prison, public buildings, grounds, roads, and other
public works of national government.
b. Detainee
May not be required to work in prison. However, he may be made to police his cell and perform such
other labor as may be deemed necessary for hygienic or sanitary reasons. (may agree to abide by the
rules on convicted inmate and should be in writing)
C. Old Inmate
Only assigned to work on jobs suitable to her age and physical condition, inmates over 60 years of age
maybe excused.
Visiting Rights
purpose
h. Legal counsel can visit at any time where necessary (RA 7438)
Sending of Money
a. Inmates are allowed, under the supervision and assistance of designated prison officer.
b. The mail officer shall issue a receipt in duplicate for the amount enclosed in the inmate's incoming
letter and shall deposit in the trust fund. Original receipt is filed with the Trust FUND officer.
c. Inmate under punishment is given mail privileges unless his misconduct involves mail regulations.
INSTITUTIONAL CUSTODY, SECURITY AND CONTROL OF INMATES, EMERGENCY PLANS, MOVEMENT AND
TRANSFER OF INMATES
Duties of Custodial Forces
1. Conduct regular inmates Count. Headcount of inmates shall be at least 4 times a day. Do not make
routine headcounts.
7. Designate a Gate supervisor for every shift.8. Secure fireams and anti - riot equipment in the Armory.
12. Maintain a system of Key control.Never permit the inmates to handle keys.
13. Select carefully the inmates to be assigned as jail Aide and maintain rigid control on their activities
Security Procedure
Contraband
It refers to any article, item or object prohibited by law or forbidden by prison rules.
a. A jail officer must not enter the inmate's quarters to distribute food unless another officer is available
to handle the keys and control the entrance.
b. If only one officer is on duty, it is essential that the door be locked to preempt being overpowered by
the inmates.
d. After meals, inmates shall be responsible for the cleanliness and orderliness of the mess hall.
e. Check and account all forks, spoons and other kitchen utensils.
3. Mail Censorship
a. In censoring mail, prison slang, unusual nicknames and sentences with double meaning shall be
carefully studied and deciphered.
b. Letters passed by censors shall bear the censor's stamp at the top of each page and on the envelope.
d. The content of inmate's mail shall be confidential and shall not be discussed with other prison
personnel.
All letters containing statements containing the secuity and reputation of the prison like escape
attempts, smuggling/trafficking of contrabands or letters that may affect the prison rules and policies.
b. Inmate is advised to claim his letter, within 24 hours after it is received in prison.
Disturbances
a. At the sound of the first alam, all inmates shall be locked up inside their respective cells/quarters. An
inmate work crew shall be immediately returned to the prison compound or to previously designated
areas for accounting and confinement after a head count.
b. If the disturbance occurs during visiting hours, all visitors shall be immediately ushered out of prison
compound or if this is not possible, brought to a pre-determined area inside said compound. In the latter
case, the visitors shall not be allowed to leave said area or the compound until the disturbance has
ceased and the inmates have been properly accounted for.
c. At the same time, all guards who are not on duty shall be directed to immediately report to the Desk
Officer. All critical posts shall be manned to prevent escapes. The most senior guard present shall take
command of the custodial force and make assessment for the situation.
d. All telephone call to and from the prison compound shall be controlled.
e. The Armorer shall issue the necessary anti-riot equipment and fireams.
f. Based on his assessment of the prevailing conditions, the guard in command shall deploy the guards in
the following groups
assault contingent who shall be armed with wicker shields, protective headgear, gas masks and night
sticks or batons when these are available. The objective of this group are to disperse the rioters and get
their leaders.
group who shall be equipped with tear gas, guns and gasgrenades.
3rd Group. This is composed of guards who are trained in the proper handling and use of fireams. Under
the direct command of the guard-in-charge, they shall provide covering fire to the first two groups.
9. When the 3 groups mentioned above are ready, the guard-in-charge shall direct the inmates to cease
and desist, io return to their respective cells and warn them of the consequence if they do not obey. The
known leaders, if known shall be addressed directly.
h. If the inmates fail or refuse to heed the order to retun to their cells, the guard-in-charge shall sound
the second alarm. Thereupon, the first group shall enter into the prison compound followed by the
second group at a discreet distance. The third group shall be in strategic position, ready to fire if the
lives of the guards in the 1st and 2nd Groups are endangered by over violent acts of the inmates.
i. The 1st Group shall be tasked with quelling the riot and getting the leaders of the rioting group. If they
meet stirf resistance, the head of the group shall immediately order their withdrawal.
j. Thereafter, the guard-in-charge shall order the 2nd Group to fire tear gas on the inmates. When the
area where the rioters are found is saturated with gas, the 1st group shall attack using their batons to
force the rioters into their cells and get the leaders. The use of pressurized water from the fire truck, if
any, may be resorted to.
k. At the earliest opportunity, the guard-in-charge shall report the prison disturbance to the nearest
police station and to the Director who shall in turn infom the Secretary.
I. When the condition has become critical and the disturbance has reached full intensity, the guard-in-
charge shall cause the sounding of the third alarm. At this instance, the Control Center shall notify all
police agencies nearby for assistance and then all other plans in connection with prison uprisings shall
be executed. Nearby hospitals shall also be notified if the situations demands
m. As extreme measures to prevent mass jail breakor seriousassault upon members of the prison
administration, the selected marksman of the 3rd Group maybe ordered by the guard-in-charge to fire
warning shots at the rioters. If the rioters do not desists, the order to fire shall be given but only to
control designated target belonging to the rioting group.
facilities,
5. Investigate the causes of the riot and prosecute the ring leaders and other persons involved in the riot
1. To another prison, which is closer to his family as part of his rehabilitation. (approved by the director)
2. insane inmates - mental hospitals (approved by the director). He must be given mental exam before
transfer
b. Medical examination; or
Furlough
It is an authorization that pemits inmate to leave place of confinement for emergency reasons.
Nota Bene: Death convicts are not allowed (except on emergency cases as approved by the Supreme
Court)
c. For ClW, request is forwarded to the Secretary atleast 1 day prior to the viewing
a. Spouse
b. Child
c. Brother/sister
d. Father/mother
e. Grandchild
f. Grandparent
e. Duration can be extended if the inmate can return during the daylight hours of the same day.
a. Confidential in nature.
Inmate Discipline
a. Efforts must be made to instill in the minds of inmates that discipline is an essential characteristic of a
well-adjusted man.
b. Breach of discipline must be handled objectively and sanctions must be rendered firmly.
Prohibited Acts Subject to Disciplinary Action (UBAS SLR 3C- 2D -2G-3P - 2T)
1. Exchanging Uniform.
13. Gambling.
15. Profanity.
Board of Discipline
2. Corporal punishment
5. Forced labor.
Imposable Punishment
1. Caution or reprimand
c. He must be fit
b. Prevent inmate from harming himself or others, destroying public and private property
4. Female inmates not subjected to disciplinary actions if it will affect his unborn or nursing child
Security Precaution
1. Ascertain that the inmate has no crippled, deformed hand to avoid slippage of handcuff
6. Don't sit on the side where the firearm faces the inmate
Grant of full time credit period of preventive detention, which fully deducts the period of the offenders
preventive imprisonment detention from the sentence imposed by the court.
Section 1, RA 6127. Article 29 of the Revised Penal Code is hereby amended to read as follows:
"Art. 29. Period of preventive imprisonment deducted from term of imprisonment. Offenders who have
undergone preventive imprisonment shall be credited in the service of their sentence consisting of
deprivation of liberty, with the full time during which they have undergone preventive imprisonment, if
the detention prisoner agree so voluntarily in writing to abide by the same disciplinary rules imposed
upon convicted prisoners, except in the following cases:
1. When they are recidivists, or have been convicted previously twice or more times of any crime, and
2. When upon being summoned for the execution of their sentence they have failed to surrender
voluntarily
"If the detention prisoner does not agree to abide by thesame disciplinary rules imposed upon convicted
prisoners, he shall be credited in the service of his sentence with four-fifths of the time during which he
has undergone preventive imprisonment."
An act authorizing the release of any offender or accused who has undergone preventive imprisonment
equal to or more than the possible maximum imprisonment to which he may be sentenced by amending
the revised penal code
of act no. 3815, as amended, otherwise known as the Revised Penal Code
Section 1. Article 29 of Act No. 3815, as amended, otherwise known as the Revised Penał Code, is
hereby further amended to read as follows:
deducted from term of imprisonment. - Offenders or accused who have undergone preventive
imprisonment shall be credited in the service of their sentence consisting of deprivation of liberty, with
the full time during which they have undergone preventive imprisonment if the detention prisoner
agrees voluntarily in writing after being informed of the effects thereof and with the assistance of
counsel to abide by the same disciplinary rules imposed upon convicted prisoners, EXCEPT in the
following cases:
2. When upon being summoned for the execution of their sentence they have failed to surrender
voluntanily.
"If the detention prisoner does not agree to abide by the same disciplinary rules imposed upon
convicted prisoners, he shall do so in writing with the assistance of a counsel and shall be credited in the
service of his sentence with four-fifths of the time during which he has undergone preventive
imprisonment.
"Credit for preventive imprisonment for the penalty of reclusion perpetua shall be deducted from thity
(30)years.
"Whenever an accused has undergone preventive imprisonment for a period equal to the possible
maximum imprisoninent of the offense charged to which he may be sentenced and his case is not yet
teminated, he shäll be released immediately without prejudice to the continuation of the trial thereof or
the proceeding on appeal, if the same is under review. Computation of preventive imprisonment for
purposes of immediate release under this paragraph shall be the actual period of detention with good
conduct time allowance
Provided, however, That if accused is absent without justifiable cause at any stage of the trial, the court
may motu proprio order the re - arrest of the accused:
delinquents, escapees and persons charged with heinous crimes are excluded from the coverage of this
Act.
In case the maximum penalty to which the accused may be sentenced is destiero, he shall be released
after thirty (30) days of preventive imprisonment."
SEC. 2. Article 94 of the same Act is hereby further amended to read as followS:
3. For good conduct allowances which the culprit may ean while he is undergoing preventive
imprisonment or serving his sentence."
SEC. 3. Article 97 of the same Act is hereby further amended to read as follows:
ART. 97. Allowance for good conduct. - The good Conduct of any offender qualified for credit for
preventive imprisonment pursuant to Article 29 of this Code, or of any convicted prisoner in any penal
institution, rehabilitation or detention center or any other local jail shall entitle him to the following
deductions from the period of his sentence:
1. During the first two years of imprisonment, he shall be alowed a deduction of twenty days for each
month of good behavior during detention
"2. During the third to the fifth year, inclusive, of his imprisonment, he shall be allowed a deduction of
twenty-three days for each month of good behavior during detention;
year, inclusive, of his imprisonment, he shall be allowed a deduction of twenty-five days for each moth
of good behavior during detention;
4. During the eleventh and successive years of his imprisonment, he shall be allowed a deduction of
thirty days for each month of good behavior during detention;and
"5. At any time during the period of imprisonment, he shall be allowed another deduction of fifteen
days, in addition to numbers one to four hereof, for each month of study, teaching or mentoring service
time rendered.
"An appeal by the accused shall not deprive him of entitlement to the above allowances for good
conduct."
SEC. 4. Article 98 of the same Act is hereby further amended to read as follows:
sentence shall be granted to any prisoner who, having evaded his preventive imprisonment or the
service of his sentence under the circumstances mentioned in Article 158 of this Code, gives himself up
to the authorities within 48 hours following the issuance of a proclamation announcing the passing away
of the Calamity or catastrophe referred to in said article.
sentence shall be granted in case said prisoner chose to stay in the place of his confinement
notwithstanding the existence of a calamity or catastrophe enumerated in
"This Article shall apply to any prisoner whether undergoing preventive imprisonment or servingg
sentence."
SEC. 5. Article 99 of the same Act is hereby further amended to read as follows:"
"ART. 99. Who grants time allowances Whenever lawfully justified, the Director of the
Bureau of Corrections, the Chief of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and/or the Warden of
a provincial, district, municipal or city jail shall grant allowances for good conduct. Such allowances once
granted shall not be revoked."
An act strengthening the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) and providing funds therefor
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as "The Bureau of Corrections Act of 2013".
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to promote the general welfare and safeguard
the basic rights of every prisoner incarcerated in our national penitentiary. it also recognizes the
responsibility of the State to strengthen government capability aimed towards the institutionalization of
highly efficient and competent correctional services.
Towards this end, the State shall provide for the modernization, professionalization and restructuring of
the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) by upgrading its facilities, increasing the number of its personnel,
upgrading the levelof qualifications of their personnel and standardizing their base pay, retirement and
other benefits, making it at par with that of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
(a) Safekeeping, which is the custodial component of the BuCor's present corrections system, shall refer
to the act that ensures the public (including families of inmates and their victims) that national inmates
are provided with their basic needs, completely incapacitated from further Committing criminal acts,
and have been totally cut off from their criminal networks (or contacts in the free society) while serving
sentence inside the premises of the national penitentiary. This act also includes protection against illegal
organized armed groups which have the capacity of launching an attack on any prison camp of the
national penitentiary to rescue their convicted comrade or to forcibly amass firearms issued to prison
guards.
The BuCor shall be in charge of safekeeping and instituting reformation programs to national inmates
sentenced to more than three (3) years.
(a) Safekeeping of National Inmates- The safekeeping of inmates shall include decent provision of
quarters, food, water and clothing in compliance with established United Nations standards
The security of the inmates shall be undertaken by the Custodial Force consisting of Corrections Officers
with a ranking system and salary grades similar to its counterpart in the BJMP
(b) Reformation of National Inmates The reformation programs, which will be instituted by the BuCor for
the inmates, shall be the following:
(c) The reformation programs shall be undertaken by Professional Refomation Personnel Consisting of
Corrections Technical Officers with ranking system and salary grades similar to Corrections Officers
(1) Corrections Technical Officers are personnel employed in the implementation of reformation
programs and those personnel whose nature of work requires proximate or direct contact with inmates
(2) Corrections Technical Officers include priests, evangelists, pastors, teachers, instructors, professors
officers, vocational placement officers, librarians, guidance counselors physicians, nurses, medical
technologists pharmacists dentists, therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, sociologists, social workers,
engineers electricians, agrculturists, veterinarians, lawyers and similar professional skills relevant to the
implementation of inmate reformation programs.
structure. It shall undertake reception of inmates through its Directorate for Reception and Diagnostics
(DRD), formerly Reception and Diagnostic Center (RDC), provide basic needs and security through its
Security and Operations Directorates, administer reformation programs through its Reformation
Directorates, and prepare inmates for
reintegration to mainstream society through its Directorate for Extermal Relations (DER), formerly
Extemal Relations Division (ERD).
(b) The DRD shall be responsible for the conduct of classification of each and every inmate admitted to
the BuCor. Inmates shall be classified according to security risk and sentence. Included in the
classification is determining inmate's certain skills or talents, physical, spiritual, social,mental and
psychological evaluation and other behavioral assessments, as reference of the DRD in the preparation
of individual inmate reformation programs.
(c) Aside from those borne of the provisions under Rule 8, Part 1, Rules of General Application of the
United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and that of the existing
regulation of the BuCor on security classification (i.e. maximum, medium and minimum security risk),
inmates shall also be internally classified by the DRD and segregated according to crimes committed
based on the related penal codes such as Crimes Against Persons, Crimes Against Properties, Crimes
Against Chastity, so on and so forth, as well as by other related Special Laws, Custom and Immigration
Laws.
(d) From the DRD, the Custodial Force and Reformation Personnel of security respective
institutions/camps shall be in charge for the security and the implementation of the recommended
inmate reformation program of each and every inmate while serving sentence,respectively.
shall be responsible for pre-release and post-release programs of inmates due for release. The DER shall
also classify inmates according to skills acquired for referral and endorsement to appropriate companies
or corporations participating in the BuCor On-The-Job Training Programs for newly reformed inmates.
The DER shall also evaluate, classify and apply necessary programs to inmates for readiness to join the
mainstream society upon release.
(f) Apart from handling inmates, the BuCor shall administratively operate like a standard government
agency through its Administrative Directorates with internal control and internal audit units.
(g) The BuCor shall employ full computerization in the build-up, maintenance and transmittal of
necessary inmate records to all its Prison and Penal Farms and other recipient agencies (i.e. Board of
Pardons and Parole).
(a) Aside from administrative purposes, all BuCor lands shall be used for inmate security, reformation
programs and as a means to promote sustainability, both for income and non-income generating
programs, with or without partnership among nongovernment organizations, civic organizations or
other government entities.
(b) As a way to maximize its assets' value for the effective and extensive reformation (corrections)
programs for national inmates, the BuCor shall have the absolute authority to design, formulate and
implement land-use development plans and policies.
(c) The BuCor may propose additional penal farms as may be necessary as possible, aside from its
existing seven (7) prison and penal farms to decongest existing penal institutions and accommodate the
increasing number of inmates committed to the agency.
(d) Ali BuCor lands shall have a Certificate of Title registered under its name.
The BuCor shall operate with standard and uniform design of prison facilities, refomation facilities and
administrative facilities, through all the operating prison and penal farms, such as the folilowing:
(a) Dormitory
(d) Hospital/lnfimary,
(e) Recreation/Multipurpose hall;
BuCor as a line bureau and a constituent unit. shall maintain a relationship of administrative supervision
with the latter as defined under Section 38 (2), Chapter 7, Book IV of Executive Order No. 292
(Administrative Code of 1987)except that the DOJ shall retain authority over the power to review,
reverse, revise or modify the decisions of the BuCor in the exercise of its regulatory or quasi-judicial
functions.
(a) The BuCor shall be headed by a Director who shall be assisted by three (3) Deputy Directors: one (1)
for administration, one (1) for security and operations and one (1) for refomation, all of whom shall be
appoinited by the President upon the recommendation of the Secretary of the DOJ: Provided, That the
Director and the Deputy Directors of the BuCor shall serve a tour of duty not to exceed six (6) years from
the date of appointment: Provided, further, That in times of war or other national emergency decdared
by Congress, the President may extend such tour of duty.
Undersecretary, shall have the position and titie of Direcior General of Corrections
The second officers in commarnd of the BuCor, with the rank of Assistant Secretary, shall have the
position and title of Deputy Directors of Corrections
The third officer in command of the BuCor, with the rank of Chief Superintendent, shall have the
position and title of Corrections Chief Superintendent
The fourth officer in command of the BuCor, with the rank of Senior Superintendert, shall have the
positionand title of Corrections Senior Superintendent
The fifth officer in command of the BuCor, with the rank of Superintendent, shall have the position and
title ofCorrections Superintendent.
(c) The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) shall rationalize the existing organizational
structure and staffing pattern of the BuCor in accordance with the provisions of this Act and relevant
compensation and position classification laws, rules and regulations
Hence, it is authorized to increase its manpower to meet such ratio and may continue to increase
personnel perpercentage rate increase of committed inmates annually or as the need arises.
SEC. 11. Professionalizatlon and Upgrading of Qualification Standards in the Appointment of the BuCor
Personnel.
(a) No person shall be appointed as personnel of the BuCor unless one possesses the following minimum
qualifications
(3)Must have passed the psychiatric/psychological, drug and physical test for the purpose of
determining his/her physical and mental health,
(6) Must not have been dishonorably discharged or dismissed for cause from previous employment.
(7) Must not have been convicted by final judgmentof an offense or crime involving moral turpitude, and
(8) Must be at least one meter and sixty-two centimeters (1 62 m) in height for male, and one meter and
fifty-seven centimeters (1.57 m.) for female Provided, That a waiver for height and age requirement/s
may be granted to applicants belonging to the cultural communities
Provided, further, That a new applicant must not be less than twenty-one (21) or more than forty (40)
years of age. Except for this particular provision, the above-enumerated qualifications shall be
continuing in character and an absence of any one of them at any given time shall be ground for
separation or retirement from the service:
Provided, furthermore, That those who are already in the service upon the effectivity of this Act shall be
given five (5) years from the date of such effectivity to obtain the minimum educational qualification and
eligibility with subsidiary assistance as provided for in this Act.
(b) After the lapse of the period for the satisfaction of a specific requirement, incumbent personnel of
the BuCor who fail to satisfy any of the requirements enumerated under this section shall be separated
from the service if they are below fifty (50) years of age and have served in the govemment for less than
twenty (20) years, or retired if they are fifty (50)years and above and have served in the government for
atleast twenty (20) years without prejudice in either case to the payment of benefits they may be
entitled to under existing laws
(c) For sustained professionalism in the service, the BuCor is directed to conduct study for the feasible
establishment of the, Philippine Corrections Academy patterned after the Philippine National Police
Academy(PNPA) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) of
the Armed Forces of Philippines (AFP) for its commissioned officers.
(d) The BuCor shall continue training its personnel through its Personnel Training School, which shall be
renamed as Corrections Training Schooll lnstitute patterned after the BJMP's Jail National Training
Institute (JNTI), the Bureau of Fire's Fire National Training Institute (FNT) and the PNP's National Training
Institute (PNT)
SEC 12. Appointment of Personnel to the BuCor-The appointment of the BuCor shall be effected in the
following manner
(a) Corrections Officer to Corections Chief Superintendent- Appointed by the Director General of
Corrections, and attested by the Civil Service Commission (CSC), and
(b) Director General of Corrections and Deputy Director of Corrections Appointed by the President upon
the recomnendation of the Secretary of the D0J, wth the proper endorsement by the Chairman of the
CSC
In general, all original appointments of officers in the BuCor shall commence with the rank of
Corrections Inspector wherein applicants for lateral entry into the BuCor shall include all those with
highly specialized and technical qualifications such as, but not limited to, civil engineers, mechanical
engineers , electrical engineers chemical engineers, chemist, architecs, CRIMINOLOGISTS, cetified
public accountants, nurses physical therapists, dentists, social workers, psychologists, sociologists,
guidance counselors and teachers
Doctors of Medicine, members of the Philippine Bar and chaplains shall be appointed to the rank of
Corrections Senior Inspector in their particular technical service.
(a) No person shall be designated to the following key positions of the BuCor unless one has met the
qualifications provided therein
must have finished at least-second year Bachelor of Laws or earned at least twelve (12) units in a
master's degree program in management, public administration public safety, criminology, penology,
sociology, national security administration, defense studies or other related disciplines from a
recognized institution of learning, and must have satisfactorily passed the necessary training or career
courses for such position as may be established by the BuCor
Should have the rank of Chief Inspector, who must have finished at least second year Bachelor of Laws
or earned at least twenty-four (24) units in a master's degree programing management, public
administration public safety, criminology. penology, sociology, national security administration, defense
studies or other related disciplines from a recognized institution of learning, and must have satisfactorily
passed the necessary training or career courses for such position as may be estabilished by the BuCor
(3) Colony Superintendent-Should have the rank of Superintendent, who must be a graduate of Bachelor
of Laws or a holder of a master's degree in management public administration, public safety,
criminology. penology sociology, national security administration, defense studies or other related
disciplines from a recognized institutio learning, and must have satisfactorily passed the necessary
training or career courses for such position as may established by the BuCor
Provided, That in prison and penal farms with an inmate population of two thousand (2,000) but below
three thousand (3,000), the Colony Superintendent shall have the rank and qualication of a Colony
Senior Superintendent; and
Should have the rank of Senior Superintendent or Chief Superintendent, who must be a graduate of
Bachelor of Laws or a holder of a master's degree in management, public administration, public safety,
criminology. penology, sociology, national security administration, defense studies or other related
disciplines from a recognized institution of learning, and must have satisfactorily passed the necessary
training or career courses for such position as may be established by the BuCor:
Provided, That in prison and penal farms with an inmate population of three thousand (3,000) but below
five thousand (5,000), the Regional Superintendent shall have the
Superintendent:
Provided, further, That in prison and penal farms with an inmate population of over five thousand
(5,000), the Regional Superintendent shall have the rank and quaiification of a Chief Superintendent.
occupying such position but lacks any of the qualifications mentioned therein shall be given five (5) years
to comply with the requirements otherwise, the personnel shall be relievedfrom the position.
Upgrading Program.
There shall be established a system of attrition for the personnel of the BuCor within five (5) years from
the effectivity of this Act, to be submitted by the said bureau to the DOJ for approval. Such attrition
system shall include, but is not imited to, the provision of the following pinciples (a) Attrition by
Demotion in Position or Rank
Any personnel of the BuCor who is relieved and assigned to a positton lower than what is established for
the grade in the respective stafing pattern, and who shall not be assigned to a position commensurate
to one's grade within two (2) years after such demotion in position shall be separated or retired from
the service,
promoted for a continuous period often (10 years shall be separated or retired from the service, except
for those who are occupying a third level position
Any personnel of the BuCor with at least five (5) years of accumulated active service shall be separated
from the service based on any of the foloving factors
(1) Inefficiency based on poor performarce dunnthe last two successive semestral rating periods
(2) Inefficiency based on poor performance for three (3) cumulative semestral rating periods
(3) Physical and/or mental incapacty to perform one's duties and functions or
(4) Failure to complete the reguired career courses and/or appropriate Civil service eligibility for his/her
position except for justifable cause or reason, and
Any personnel who is dismissed from the BuCor pursuant to the above-enumerated principles in this
section shall be separated if one has rendered less than twenty (20) years of service, and be retired if
one has rendered at least twenty (20) years of service unless the concerned personnel is disqualifed by
law to receive such benefits.
Within six (6) months after the effectivity of this Act the BuCor shall establish a system of promotion for
the personnel of the BuCor through the following principles
The system of promotion shall be based on merit and on the availabity of vacant ranks in tne BuCor
stafing pattern. Such system shall be gender-fair so as to ensure that women personnel of the BuCor
shall enjoy equal opportunity for promotion as to men;
(1) Any personnel of the BuCor shall not be eligible for promotion to a higher rank unless one has met
the minimum qualification standards or the appropriate civil Service eligibilty set by the CSC and has
satisfactorily passed the required psychiatric/psychological drug and physical test and
(2) Any personnel of the BuCor who has exhibited acts of conspicuous courage and gallantry at the risk
of one's life above and beyond the call of duty, or selected as such in a nationwide search conduced by
any accredited civic or ganization shall be promoted to the next higher ank
Provided, That these shall be validatèd by the DOJ and the CSC based on established criteria.
evalualion system which shall be administered in accordance wilh the rules, regutations and standards,
and a code of conduct for the personnel of the BuCor to be promulgated by the BuCor through the DOJ
Such perfommance evaluation system shall be administered in such a way as to foster the improvement
of the individual efficiency and behavioral discipline, as well as he promotion of organizational
effectiveness and commitment to public service
(d) The rating system as contemplated herein shall be based on standards prescribed by the BuCor
through the DOJ and shall be considered the result of the annual psychiatric/psychological and physical
test conducted on the personnel of the BuCor
SEC, 19, Standardization of the Base Pay and Other Benefits of the Uniformed Personnel of the BuCor
commitment to service and professionalism, the following are considered uniformed personnel of the
BuCor
Custodial Rank
Corrections Inspector
Corrections Officer II
Corrections Officer I
Reformation Rank
The DBM shall deternine the equivalent rank of the uniformed personnel of the Bucor patterned after
the existing ranks of the military and uniformed personnel of other departments.
The base pay, allowances and other benefits of the above mentioned personnel shall be in accordance
with the existing compensation and position classification laws and regulations.
Upon compulsory retirement, any custodial officer from the rank of Corections Chief Superintendent
and below shall be entitled to retirement benefits computed on the basis of
position last held: Provided, That the retirement pay shall be subject to
adjustment/s based on the prevailing scale of base pay of the uniformed personnel in the active service.
The funds required for the implementation of this Act including personnel benefits shall be taken from
the budget of the BuCor for the current fiscal year and also from the following:
(b) Income from institutional projects subject to memoranda of agreements (MOAs), contracts or joint
venture agreements; and
(c) Other miscellaneous incomes (outside MOAs and contracts) such as:
There after, such amounts as may be necessary to implement this Act shall be included in the annual
General Appropriations Act.
SEC. 22. Implementation
The implementation of this Act shall be undertaken in staggered phases, but not to exceed five (5) years,
taking into consideration the financial position of the national government: Provided, That any partial
implementation shall be uniform and proportionate for all ranks.
The DOJ, in coordination with the BuCor, the CSC, the DBM and the Department of Finance (DOF), shall,
within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act, promulgate the rules and regulations necessary to
implement the provisions of this Act
(a) The incumbent Director and two (2) incumbent Assistant Directors shall serve under the terms for
which been appointed without need of new they have appointments upon the enactment of this Act.
effectivity of this Act, shall opt to early or optionally retire from the service will be entitled to the
retirement benefits computed as follows:
57. 62
58. 63
59. 64
60. 65
(c) All incumbent personnel, upon the effectivity of this Act, may continue to render services until one
reaches the compulsory age of retirement for public officers of sixty-five (65).
Those who shall be newly hired will have a compulsory age retirement of fifty-six (56) years pursuant to
the prevailing provisions on retirement age of those who are
SEC. 26. Separability Clause. - If any portion or provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional, the
same shall not affect the validity and effectivity of the other provisions not affected thereby.
SEC. 27. Repealing Clause. All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations and other issuances, or parts
thereof, which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby deemed repealed, amended or
modified accordingly.
SEC. 28. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its complete publication in
the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general