History of Corrections
History of Corrections
History of Corrections
A. Code of Hammurabi
The first formal laws dealing with the imposition of justice first came to
light some 1750 Before Christ in Babylonia.
Core principle is lex taliones or “an eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth”
D. Justinian Code
This code became the standard law in all the areas occupied by the
Roman Empire particularly in Europe.
This code was a revision of the Twelve Tables of Roman Law.
E. Burgundian Code
This code introduced the concept of restitution.
Punishments were meted according to the social class of the offenders.
HISTORY OF CORRECTIONS
F. Inquisition(Ecclesiastical Court)
Allowed the use of TORTURE.
Pope Leo I was the first pope to fully express approval for killing,
otherwise human and divine law would be subverted.
Heresy had been the crime where the Church strictly enforced the
death penalty.
Priscillian was the first recorded Christian who was put to death for
being a heretic.
Pope Gregory IX through his Papal Encyclical “Excommunicamus”
issued in 1231 that made part of Canon Law that burning of non-
believers at the stake. He is also the one who initiated the Inquisition
that led to the burning of hundreds of heretics.
Innocent IV officially introduced torture to the inquisition procedure in
1252.
HISTORY OF CORRECTIONS
G. King Henry VIII
Decreed corporal punishment for vagrants in 1531 and penal slavery in
1547 to defend the interests of the still dominant landlord class, where
the nobility gets their privileged status in society.
H. King Edward VI
One of the most notorious English workhouses, St. Bridget’s Well
(Bridewell), opened in 1557. The guiding principle of this workhouse
was that by forcing people to work at difficult and unpleasant tasks,
they would be reformed.
HISTORY OF CORRECTIONS
Cesare Beccaria (Cesare Bonesana, Marchese de Beccaria)
(1738-1794)
He believed that punishment could deter crime, but only if they
were certain, swift and severe.
He endorsed the segregation of inmates by age, gender and offense.
Sir Evelyn Bugles Brise was the director of English prison who opened
the Borstal Institution after visiting the Elmira Reformatory in 1897,
which is now considered as the best reform institution to young
offenders. This system was based entirely on the individualized
treatment.
Zebulon Brockway
The first Supt. Of Elmira.
He introduced training school type, education for prisoners,
solitary confinement for night and congregate workshop were
adopted, extensive use of parole and indeterminate sentence.
M. Penitentiary Reform
Alexander Maconochie
He created a system of marks of commendation, given to inmates
for good behavior. An inmate with a fixed number of marks could
earn his ticket of leave.
Walter Crofton
Created what has to be called the Irish Ticket of Leave System.
Development of Prison Systems in the 20th Century
3. Chain Gangs
Under this scheme, prisoners work in public works
projects outside of the facilities. To secure the prisoners
against escape when they are on the work site from the
prisons, they were chained together, hence, the word
chain gang evolved.
4. Custody-Oriented Prison
This type of prison is a remnant of the prisons of the
past century when prisoners were punished by confining
them only to their cells and isolating them from the rest
of the society.
Development of Prison Systems in the 20th Century
Commandancias
Equivalent of today’s police stations or precincts where the laws are
enforced by the Guardia Civil
Bilibid Prison
The first penal institution in the country
It was constructed sometime in the year 1847 in the Bilibid District of
the City of Manila from where it derived its name
It was only recognized and formally designated as an insular
penitentiary through a Royal Decree issued some eighteen years later in
1865
Correction Practice in the Philippines
The building which were referred to as ‘brigadas” are made of very strong adobe
stones.
During the war, the Japanese Imperial forces used the NBP to confine suspected
guerillas and anti-Japanese Filipinos as well as American Prisoners of War.
The place where the Bilibid Prison was relocated is a 552-hectare Muntinlupa
estate-owned by the City of Manila. This site was previously acquired by the city to
become the site for its Boys Training School. But because the site is far from Manila,
the city gladly exchanged their Muntinlupa property to the Bilibid facilities when
the Bilibid Prisons was looking for a relocation site.
CAMP BUKANG LIWAYWAY – a minimum security facility
CAMP SAMPAGUITA - institutions found in it are Reception and Diagnostic Center
(RDC), Medium Security Unit, and Youth Rehabilitation Center.
Correction Practice in the Philippines
Manila Office
Another unique facility that was built by the Bureau is the Manila
Office, which was originally holding a facility for prisoners working as
orderlies in the different offices of the Department of Justice at Padre
Faura, Manila.
This was established in January 16, 1973 on the orders issued under
Martial Law by President Ferdinand E. Marcos
BUCOR
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 SAN RAMON PRISON AND
PENAL FARM.
Medium Security
Less than 20 years sentence
Remand inmates or detainees below 20 years sentence
18 years and below regardless of case or sentence
Those who have 2 or more escape records but have served 8 years since
recommitment
Those who have served at least five years as maximum security
BUCOR
Minimum Security
Those with severe physical handicap as certified by the chief prison
medical officer
65 years old and above and not on appeal or with out pending case
Those who have served at least ½ of their minimum sentence or 1/3 of
their maximum sentence excluding GCTA
Those with only 6 months to serve before expiration of maximum
sentence.
BUCOR
What are the Classification of Inmates?
1. Detainee – those whose cases are or have other pending cases.
2. Third Class Inmate: those who have previously committed as a
sentenced prisoner for three times or more except cases involving
non-payment of fines, or those whose classification were reduced
from a higher class.
3. Second Class Inmate: newly arrived inmates committed for the first
time, or demoted from the higher class or promoted from the lower
class
4. First Class Inmates: those with known character and credit for work
while in detention or promoted from a lower class.
BUCOR
5. Colonist: served with good conduct, at least 1/5 of his maximum
sentence, or has served seven years in case of life sentence.
Who will approve the inmate to go out of prison for medical examination,
treatment, or hospitalization or to view the remains of a deceased
relative?
Secretary of Justice.
Under Article 99 of the RPC, GCTA’s and STA’s are granted by the
Director of the BUCOR.
BUCOR
Inmates who demonstrated good behavior shall be entitled to a 5-
minute phone call to an authorized individual every 90 days.