LECTURE 1

What is Correction?

• Branch of the Criminal Justice System (CJS) managing custody, supervision, and rehabilitation of convicted offenders.

• Includes studies of jail/prison management and reformation of criminals.

Introduction to Community-Based Corrections

• Not all offenders serve sentences in prison; some remain in the community under conditions set by the government.

• Forms of community-based corrections:

  • Probation

  • Parole

  • Conditional Pardon

  • Recognizance

• Advantages of community-based corrections:

  1. Allows convicts to support families and remain close to children.

  2. More effective rehabilitation without exposure to hardened criminals.

  3. Community monitoring enhances rehabilitation effectiveness.

  4. Cost-efficient for cash-strapped governments.

Dual Purpose of Corrections

1. To punish offenders.

2. To rehabilitate offenses.

• Corrections are often overlooked in discussions of the CJS, yet play a vital role in reformation.

Jail Administration Agencies

• Corrections in the Philippines managed by:

  • Bureau of Corrections (BUCOR): Oversees national penitentiary and penal farms under DOJ.

  • Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP): Controls city, municipal, and district jails under DILG.

  • Provincial Governments: Supervise provincial and sub-provincial jails.

  • Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD): Manages youthful offenders in juvenile detention centers.

  • Community-Based Correction Agencies:

    • Parole and Probation Administration (PPA) under DOJ.

    • Board of Pardons and Parole under DOJ.

Decongestion of Jails

• Jail congestion is a global issue, prevalent in third-world countries, particularly in urban areas of the Philippines.

• Various laws and decrees implemented to address jail congestion:

  1. Presidential Decree No. 603: Child and Youth Welfare Code; suspends sentences for minor offenders.

  2. Batas Pambansa Bilang 85: Releases detainees after preventive imprisonment equivalent to maximum sentence.

  3. Revised Penal Code Article 96: Allows sentence commutation by presidential action in meritorious cases.

  4. DOJ Memorandum Circular No. 6: Directs transfer of national prisoners to BUCOR.

  5. Republic Act No. 9165: Handles minor offenders regarding drug offenses.

  6. Republic Act No. 9344: Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act.

Approaches of the Philippine Correctional System

1. Institution-Based Approach: Rehabilitation within jails/prisons.

   • Three levels supervised by different government agencies:

     • National prison and penal farms (DOJ).

     • Provincial and sub-provincial jails (provincial governments).

     • City, municipal, and district jails (DILG).

2. Non-Institutional Correction or Community-Based Approach: Corrections occurring within the community, allowing for alternatives to imprisonment.

   • Monitor compliance of probationers and parolees through PPA.