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

Hardened Criminals
Instead of being reformed inside the Jail, inmates learn more
tricks of the criminal trade—how to elude arrest, how to fix arresting
officers with a bribe, how to avail themselves of probation
and jail decongestion programs. Upon release, therefore,
inmates go back to their criminal ways confident that they
know now how to get away with it. Getting jailed is no longer
a deterrent; it is simply considered as some sort of a vacation
and an occasion to reunite with former cellmates. Besides, being
a recidivist earns one respect from inmates; one becomes a
tayman, whose “words of wisdom” are highly regarded.
Network Building
The Jail becomes a venue for inmates to expand their network
in the community of outlaws. Drug users, for example, establish
contact with large-scale pushers. Petty snatchers get acquainted
with bank robbers and kidnappers.
The pangkat, meanwhile, are able to establish connections in
police detention cells, city jails, and Muntinlupa. Through the
use of cellular phones and constant visits, leaders are still able
to give instructions to their members.
“Corruption”
ABS-CBN reporter Erwin Tulfo once caught on camera a
jail guard collecting money from visitors. The jail guard was
portrayed as practicing extortion and was immediately fired
by BJMP authorities. In QC Jail, however, collecting money
from visitors is a common practice to raise funds that would
augment the jail’s budget for operational expenses. Outsiders
may view matik and hirit as a form of corruption, but for jail
officers and inmates, these are mechanisms that facilitate the
delivery of jail services.
Health Problems
Stew: Penal Realities
Boils and blisters can be deadly but since they are a common
disease among inmates, everyone takes them for granted. No
one bothers to find out what could be causing them—infernal
heat in the cells, unhealthy food, unhygienic environment, lack
of medicines.
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