‘A day in jail is hell’ | Opinion, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com

‘A day in jail is hell’ | Opinion, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com

"x x x.


‘A day in jail is hell’

 1  0 googleplus0  0 
In my Nov. 29 column on the launch of the Enhanced Justice on Wheels in Quezon City, I said Supreme Court Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo, EJOW committee chair, described the Philippine penology conditions as “deplorable, inhumane, and (having) substandard conditions.” Yes, you and I may hate some of these inmates for committing crimes, but they still need to be represented in court and treated like human beings.
Today’s column shall be on making justice accessible to these inmates. Consider the number of people holed up in jail indefinitely — which for me is far worse than serving a sentence for a specified period. So far, there are 18,107 inmates in the National Capital Region alone. There are 2,786 male inmates in the city’s detention center, and 547 females in the women’s dormitory. Bureau of Jail Management and Penology national office records show that there are currently 72,594 people in jails throughout the country. 
Summing it up, there are more inmates than can be accommodated in jails. And many of them are in cells so cramped they have no sleeping space, compelling them to schedule who should lie down and who should stand up. You are right, most of them end up fighting for dear space on the floor to sleep.
While the inmates suffer from prison congestion and trial delays, the Philippine judiciary, said Del Castillo, faces issues of its own, namely, clogged dockets, lack of courts in remote areas, and a high vacancy rate of 25.6 percent in the position of judges, among others.
The Supreme Court has devised several programs to address these problems, Del Castillo said. Thus, to make justice more accessible as well as to declog the dockets, the High Tribunal with the help of World Bank, launched the Justice on Wheels program on June 8, 2004. Under the program, buses are used as courts and are brought to places where they are most needed.
Four years later, in 2008, Del Castillo said the JOW program was relaunched as the Enhanced Justice on Wheels (EJOW) program due to additional services rendered by the court on wheels. Now with eight mobile courts, the program has made justice accessible even in remote areas, including mining towns like Compostela Valley where there are problems with peace and order, and even in conflict-torn provinces like Basilan where there are insurgency problems. The program has covered the entire archipelago from as far north as Ilocos Norte to as far down south as Sarangani.
The cases heard by judges and mediators under the EJOW are not plucked at random, but have been pre-selected and recommended as needing immediate intervention based on records with the BJMP. 
In four years time, the EJOW Program saw the release of 6,891 inmates. Del Castillo said, “If you are to multiply this by the P65 daily subsistence allowance, the same translates to P447,915 or P8,226.17 daily savings on the part of the government.” Moreover, 15,111 of the inmates have received medical and dental assistance; 4,191 of them have availed of legal aid; 13,384 cases have been removed from the court dockets through mediation, and 21,543 local officials have undergone courses on relevant laws like environmental laws and laws on land registration.
The program is run in coordination with, and the support of, the Philippine Judicial Academy, local government units, police force, representatives from the BJMP, Public Attorney’s Office, Prosecutor’s Office, and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. The Quezon City event on Nov. 9 was mainly organized and supervised by the Gender and Development Resource Office in cooperation with members of the city department of public order and safety, the city general services department, and the engineering department. Dr. Ruby Palma, GADRO head, coordinated the city activities with ACA Jenny Lind R. Aldecoa-Delorino.
Aside from the hearings and mediation conducted inside the mobile courts, other activities included a visit to the female dormitory, a program on information dissemination, attended by more than 300 representatives from the city offices, a medical and dental program, and a meeting with the EJOW officials and city police officers.
Back to the Nov. 9 program in Quezon City, from the female dormitory, justices and judges proceeded to Camp Karingal in Sikatuna Village for the discussion on the Five Pillars of the Criminal Justice System. They were wel- comed by QCPD Director PSupt Mario de la Vega, who proudly announced that the QCPD has been judged “Best Police District of Metro Manila.” The presentation of participants was handled by PSupt Dennis de Leon, Chief, District Investigation and Detective Management Division. The dialogue among court luminaries and police officers led to the conclusion that in order to have peace and order in the community, more dialogues should be held, including with members of the community.
The other important activity on Nov. 9 was the legal education component, which was attended by more than 300 representatives from barangays, national agencies, schools and NGOs. Dr. Palma said it is important that officers and leaders are informed on children’s and women’s rights.
In his closing remarks, Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez said, “Our dialogue today shows the need for regular coordination between and among the stakeholders of the justice sector. I am not actually referring to just the 5 Pillars of the Criminal Justice System but I would like to extend it to between and among the stakeholders in the justice sector. What I would like to propose is for a continuing body to meet once a month which will be composed of representatives from the different stakeholders.”
With a new SC chief, and reforms being planned, the Philippine justice and penology systems may gradually, but surely, make life worth living for inmates and court litigants. Del Castillo told Dr. Palma that the EJOW held in Quezon City was “the best ever.” As to the significance of cases being heard in the mobile court, Del Castillo said, “One day in jail is hell.”
x x x."
law and justice foundation,law and justice symbol,law justice and morality,law or justice 1988,relationship between law and justice,difference between law and justice,law and justice careers,law and justice essay law and justice foundation,law and justice symbol,law justice and morality,law or justice 1988,relationship between law and justice,difference between law and justice,law and justice careers,law and justice essay