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Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider Strengthen jail security

Strengthen jail security

Published Sep 13, 2023 06:05 pm

‘TOL VIEWS

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Safe and secured prisons are essential in ensuring public safety and the genuine reformation of inmates. Prison security should be as rigid as possible in order to guarantee that disturbances and risks are reduced to the minimum level possible. It was only fortunate that the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology was able to recapture escaped inmate Michael Cataroja.  Similar instances in the future, BJMP cannot just leave to chance or good fortune.

Rigid security in penitentiaries is an integral part of the reformation of law offenders.  They are made to understand that it is their liberty that they bartered when they committed the crimes they did.  Jails that are easily escapable undermine our justice system and pose real and present danger to the population.  Our probe into the New Bilibid Prison jailbreak by Cataroja exposed the vulnerability of our correctional facilities, whether in structure, procedures or personnel. Radical improvements will have to be made to ensure that escapes are prevented, order is maintained, and inmates, staff and visitors are protected.

Jailbreaks not only endanger public safety, but as I have said, undermine the integrity of our criminal justice system.  While many of the necessary security measure in prisons are already present in most of our jails – towering walls, heavily guarded perimeters, surveillance equipment and personnel – we seemingly lack consistency in implementing measures that reduce the risks of prison break, entry of contrabands, and passage of paraphernalia and weapons.  Gang riots, substance abuse and assaults that are common inside Philippine prisons will not stop unless serious and stringent security measures are implemented.  Security tightens only when these lapses are exposed in daily news and are made the subject of inquiries and investigations. We cannot expect to restore the people’s trust in the Philippine criminal justice systems unless criminals are put behind bars and are guaranteed to stay behind bars. 

The government’s commitment to peace, public safety and justice can best be emphasized by ensuring that robust security measures inside penitentiary facilities are in place and are consistently kept in place.  I still would like to believe that our jail officers remain faithful in their sworn duty to safekeep, develop and reform persons deprived of liberty. Much more is expected from our jail officers especially in light of the controversies that drag the reputation of the bureau. We can only hope that they respond to the call for safer and more secured jails.

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TOL VIEWS Senator Francis N. Tolentino
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