The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) has initiated programs to ensure the wellness of its supervised persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) and provide them with greater opportunities to be productive citizens upon their release from detention.
With 446 jail facilities nationwide, BJMP Director Ruel Rivera emphasized the value of education even behind bars as he urged the PDLs under their care to enroll and pursue college degrees.
Recently, the BJMP noted that it has produced 19 college graduates of the 425 enrollees in the bureau’s 25 jail facilities hosting its College Education Behind Bars (CEBB) program.
Rivera has included in his priorities the “after-care” program which gives every PDL the opportunity to land decent jobs by coordinating with government agencies to accommodate them “not as a former inmate but as a qualified applicant.”
With the BJMP’s assistance, Rivera added that three Cebu City Jail-Female Dormitory PDLs have also passed the Civil Service Examination (CSE) sub-professional level recently.
Thirty-one PDLs took the August 11, 2024 examination with 21 taking the sub-professional Level and 10 opting for the professional level.
Rivera pointed out that the success of the three PDLs demonstrated “the positive impact’’ of the bureau’s efforts to provide education and skill development for the PDLs under its supervision.
HIS project
In the health and wellness aspect, Rivera said that the BJMP marked another milestone with the formal handover of the Health Information System (HIS) Project, which culminates years of collaboration between the bureau and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The tie-up between the BJMP and the ICRC has played a key role in supporting the development and rollout of the HIS, aimed at improving healthcare services in the bureau’s facilities nationwide.
The BJMP explained that the HIS Project ensures that all PDLs are medically screened and assessed upon entry into detention facilities, with their health histories and concerns meticulously documented.
Through the HIS Project, 100 percent of PDLs will now have individual health records, and all 486 BJMP facilities will submit monthly health reports based on the data gathered.
The BJMP revealed that this initiative allows for a more data-driven and effective approach to healthcare in detention facilities and provides valuable data that will be shared with the Department of Health (DOH) for health surveillance.
The BJMP stressed that the PDLs’ comprehensive records will guide decision-makers in crafting data-driven healthcare policies for the jail system.
“With the full implementation of the HIS, the BJMP is now more confident in its ability to provide better healthcare for PDLs. As the system becomes fully operational, the generated data will enable the Jail Bureau to address health challenges more effectively and ensure continuous improvement in jail healthcare services,’’ the BJMP continued.