Freedom and Death Inside the Jail.pdf - The Action Program for ...

Inmates also spend for the food of newly
committed inmates, at least a day’s meal. And
when poor inmates are released or transfered to
Muntinlupa, they are given money as pamasahe
or pabaon; the amount they get depends on
how well they got along with their cellmates.
When one of the inmates or one of their family
members dies, the cell helps defray the funeral
expenses.
There is also a system that originated from the
practice of NGOs and volunteer organizations,
particularly religious groups that bring food and
other supplies to get inmates to participate in
their program. It was always the practice of these
groups to share whatever food they bring with
them with the inmates by passing it around.
Aside from material provisions, inmates also
give each other moral support. During sembols,
inmates discuss their invididual concerns and
try to come up with solutions. The paralegal
coordinators, for example, are tasked to help
inmates prepare for their hearings. During the
assembly, they would conduct mock trials.
Convicted inmates are told not to lose hope
and are encouraged to appeal their case in higher
courts. When an inmate gets a life sentence, they
try to cheer him up with such droll remarks as:
“Life is beautiful, double life is doubly beautiful.”
Inmates celebrate Independence Day.
Pot: Empowerment and Excesses
Inmates help management maintain the jail’s
facilities by donating paint and by doing
the painting themselves.
121