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

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Francis remembers his ordeal that began with a late lunch at Katipunan Avenue six years ago. He was 27 and was at the peak of his writing career, freelancing for several dailies and travel magazines. He was about to take the first bite off his cheeseburger when his attention was diverted to a girl tapping the glass window across his seat. She looked frail, as though she had not eaten for days. For a nine-year old, she looked too small. Aware that she had his attention, she readily put her palms out and motioned for the burger. For some reason even he could not understand, he walked to the girl and asked her to come with him to his apartment where, he promised, toys and candy bars awaited her. And then he does not remember any thing more, except that he woke up to cacophonous knocks on his door the morning after. It was the barangay captain asking him to report to the police station three blocks from his street. At the police station, he was surprised to see the girl he had brought with him to his apartment. She was crying profusely behind her visibly enraged mother. He could not make sense of the questions he was being asked but as soon as the girl pointed a finger at him, two men in blue uniform unceremoniously grabbed him by his shoulders and whisked him off to the cell about three meters from where he was standing. Inside the cell, the inmates took turns beating him with their bare fists. Just before he passed out, he heard the police officer who interrogated him tell the inmates: “Palambutin n’yo muna.” He woke up in a dark room, stark naked. Two men, police investigators he thought, were seated beside him, shouting at him alternatingly: “Say you did it! You did it!” But before he could belt out a groan, his penis would be hit with a stick. When he woke up again, he was back in the cell but only with his pants on. He looked around but could not find his shirt, shoes, and watch. He reached for his pockets but could not find his wallet. When he asked for his things, he was told to cling on the bars like a bat and was not allowed to go down until after four hours. He was subjected to such wanton abuse repeatedly for weeks, but no real questioning took place. After two months, he was only too glad to be finally handed over to Quezon City Jail, thinking that his ordeal would be over. Until he found himself in a 30-square meter cell, which he was to share with 180 other inmates. The airless room reeked of stink— a 1
2 Freedom and Death Inside The Jail heady mix of sweat, garbage, unwashed clothes. No bed or sleeping mat was in sight, only a small, vacant corner offering him two options so he could get some sleep—stand against the wall or squat on the damp floor. Six months passed before Francis was brought to court for arraignment and only then did he get to talk to his lawyer (assigned to him by the Public Attorneys Office) who explained the hellhole he had been dragged into. He had been charged with molesting the nine-year old girl. If found guilty, he would be meted out no less than lethal injection. The court heard his case only once after the arraignment. Even then, he was not able to talk to his lawyer again. He could not afford a private lawyer; his family disowned him upon learning of his supposed crime. His paralegal officer had been unrelenting in convincing his mother but she would not even agree to see him. Looking at Francis now—his skin erupting with boils and blisters—and listening to him describe his agony, one can only feel pity. One realizes that being committed in jail is more punitive than reformative. What if Francis did not really molest the girl and is just a victim of a petty accusation that metastasized into a full-blown crime? Then again, how can one know if it is taking forever for the court to try his case? Francis is only one of the 3,200 inmates of Quezon City Jail. Each one has a story; each story is one of a heartbreak. Put together, their stories tell of a penal system that is disturbingly flawed. On the surface, everything seems calm; inmates and jail officers work toward reformation. Beneath the surface, one hears rumblings and rumors of conspiracy.
Page 2 and 3: FREEDOM AND DEATH INSIDE THE JAIL A
Page 4 and 5: iii
Page 6 and 7: Foreword A Message From The United
Page 8 and 9: Introduction God granted my prayer.
Page 10 and 11: Freedom and Death Inside The Jail T
Page 12 and 13: Table of Contents Part VII - Boilin
Page 14 and 15: Freedom and Death Inside The Jail A
Page 16 and 17: Acknowledgments June Tuliao, Cris R
Page 18 and 19: Executive Summary Quezon City Jail
Page 20 and 21: Recommendations Executive Summary I
Page 24 and 25: An individual sent to jail is not n
Page 26 and 27: The Philippine Penal System The pro
Page 28 and 29: The Philippine Penal System Jail ma
Page 30 and 31: The Philippine Penal System The PRA
Page 32 and 33: The primary task of a correctional
Page 34 and 35: Citizenship and the Correctional Sy
Page 36 and 37: or run for public office. Citizensh
Page 42 and 43: An old compound along Epifanio de l
Page 44 and 45: The Quezon City Jail Community The
Page 46 and 47: admit that their salary as jail off
Page 48 and 49: guilty to the offense. As a result,
Page 50 and 51: THE BOILING POT ANALOGY Right off t
Page 52 and 53: Boiling Pot Analogy: FIREWOOD In th
Page 54 and 55: Firewood: The Root Causes of Proble
Page 66 and 67: installed with barbed wires on top,
Page 70 and 71: 600 to 750 inmates are scheduled fo
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had to be shortened to make way for
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Records Officers Firewood: The Root
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Firewood: The Root Causes of Proble
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Inmate Discussions on Police Tortur
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therefore, should instead be brough
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Slow Judicial Work Firewood: The Ro
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SOCIAL STRUCTURE Fire: Structural R
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Fire: Structural Responses Why do I
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Fire: Structural Responses A lot of
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Fire: Structural Responses enters t
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Fire: Structural Responses The most
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Cell Structure Brigada Structure Fi
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Fire: Structural Responses paralega
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Trustees Fire: Structural Responses
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amount. Finally, trustees receive a
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Fire: Structural Responses he under
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hygiene. A cell barber or barbero i
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Fire: Structural Responses As many
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Fire: Structural Responses instruct
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Fire: Structural Responses nanunung
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Table 5.10: Cell/Brigade Funds Fire
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undertake, the mayor will usually p
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A derivative of responde is the pal
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Fire: Structural Responses jail, e.
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Fire: Structural Responses 115
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Fire: Structural Responses structur
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THE FREEDOM ASPECT On a positive no
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Inmates also spend for the food of
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it felt so good I actually cried. S
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sonal gains. But we don’t have a
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Since 1996, classes have been held
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Photo Courtesy of GMA Pot: Empowerm
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leader is not able to contain the g
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Drugs and Liquor Galore While the b
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At the same time, inmates admit tha
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Pot: Empowerment and Excesses This
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Pot: Empowerment and Excesses Barel
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Pot: Empowerment and Excesses Sampl
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Pot: Empowerment and Excesses Sampl
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Boiling Pot Analogy: Boiling Water
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Boiling Water: Conflict and Conniva
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Inmates vs Volunteers Some voluntee
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How the Problems of the Students Pa
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No Peace of Mind Despite all the st
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Hardened Criminals Instead of being
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Unique is probably an understatemen
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Toward a Reformative Penal System A
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In this, our country, however, wide
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is because of budgetary constraints
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practices, the most logical and obv
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Toward a Reformative Penal System s
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Toward a Reformative Penal System i
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ecords officer, for example, can pr
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Six years is more than enough to se
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BIBLIOGRAPHY 1987 Constitution of t
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Quezon City Public Attorney’s Off
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Afterword Quezon City Jail but also
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