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

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68<br />

<strong>Freedom</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Death</strong> <strong>Inside</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>Jail</strong><br />

Inmates who had once been an asset reveal that <strong>the</strong> police hire<br />

<strong>the</strong>ir services <strong>for</strong> two main reasons. One is to help <strong>the</strong> police<br />

ga<strong>the</strong>r evidence, <strong>and</strong> two, to help <strong>the</strong> police facilitate <strong>the</strong> conduct<br />

of investigation.<br />

For an individual to become an asset, he must be truly knowledgeable<br />

about a particular case that <strong>the</strong> police are investigating.<br />

He must also have <strong>the</strong> complete trust of <strong>the</strong> police. Once an individual<br />

becomes an asset, he is allowed to go back to doing his<br />

illegal practices, e.g., drug peddling. This time, however, he has<br />

a mission: to help <strong>the</strong> police catch <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r drug dealers. Some<br />

assets are given <strong>the</strong>ir freedom back in exchange <strong>for</strong> a successful<br />

operation.<br />

lack of proper PROGRAMS :<br />

IMPLICATIONS ON JAIL MANAGEMENT<br />

In a very significant way, police practices have<br />

an impact on <strong>the</strong> operations of Quezon City <strong>Jail</strong>.<br />

<strong>The</strong>se practices have brought about <strong>the</strong> <strong>for</strong>mation<br />

of pangkat in Quezon City <strong>Jail</strong>. Most of <strong>the</strong> inmates<br />

are already members of different pangkat<br />

even be<strong>for</strong>e <strong>the</strong>y are transferred to <strong>the</strong> <strong>Jail</strong>. As<br />

a result, <strong>the</strong> <strong>Jail</strong> has to classify inmates according<br />

to <strong>the</strong>ir pangkat affiliation <strong>and</strong> not <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

re<strong>for</strong>mation needs.<br />

<strong>The</strong> practice of allowing inmates to participate<br />

in <strong>the</strong> torture of a suspect has created animosity<br />

among <strong>the</strong>m once <strong>the</strong>y are transferred to <strong>the</strong><br />

<strong>Jail</strong>. This defeats <strong>the</strong> ef<strong>for</strong>ts of management to<br />

institute mechanisms aimed at lessening conflicts<br />

among inmates. <strong>The</strong> <strong>Jail</strong> has also become a<br />

dumping ground <strong>for</strong> inmates who could not “bribe”<br />

<strong>the</strong>ir way out of <strong>the</strong> extortion practices of some<br />

police officers.<br />

Allowing inmates to overstay in police detention<br />

centers denies <strong>the</strong>m <strong>the</strong> benefit of undergoing<br />

re<strong>for</strong>mation programs in <strong>the</strong> <strong>Jail</strong>. Since police<br />

detention centers are not m<strong>and</strong>ated to carry out<br />

re<strong>for</strong>mation programs, many inmates are released<br />

without learning anything about <strong>the</strong> criminal justice<br />

system in <strong>the</strong> country. It is of little surprise<br />

<strong>the</strong>n that <strong>the</strong> rate of recidivism is highest<br />

in police stations.

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