Corrections

The term correction could mean two separate meanings. First, it’s an
institution a branch of the administration of criminal justice, charge with the
responsibility for custody, supervision, rehabilitation of the convicted offender.
Second, it is a study of methods that have been and are employed for the
punishment and deterrence of such behaviour and a study of efforts to accompany
the punishment with measures that are intended to change or correct offenders.
Both definitions comes from the meaning of penology, which means, a part of the
science of criminology which scientifically studies the principle of punishment and
management of prisons, reformatories and other confinement units. Correctional
Institutions are basically the responsibility of the bureau of prisons under the DOJ
and the BJMP under DILG The birth of penology is also considered the birth of a
humane approach in the administration of justice.

Correction stands as the fourth pillar of the components of our

criminal justice system. Where some people viewed it as the weakest pillar among
the pillars of criminal justice. This is due to an assumption that correctional
institutions cannot rehabilitate offenders, which is manifested through the increase
of criminalities and recidivism.

Correction denotes its concern and operates as society’s primary

formal dispenser of punishment. Correction however is more than simply a nice
term for punishment. The root of the word implies and focuses on correcting a
problem or series of problems in the society. It has come to stand for a broad
category of activities ranging from incarceration of offenders, to assisting ex-
offenders in securing employment and education in the community to provide
assistance for the victims of crimes. These systematic and organized efforts
directed by the society that punished offenders, protect the public from offenders,
change the offender’s behaviour, and in some cases compensate victims. Thus,
evolving within the milieu of social control that keeps to work through the ambit of
social justice where its sights is located to keep at pace the norms of human
behaviour in particular and social norm in general.
Prison – Is a confinement facility having custodial authority over an individual
sentenced by a court to imprisonment, which is administered by a National
Government.

Early Forms of Correction

During the earl form of civilization, people believe that when a person
commit a crime he is being possess by demon. The system of their correction is
focus to cast out the demon inside the person’s body which was the very reason
why he committed a crime. The following methods were used:

 Pungent Poison – when an individual commits a crime they let the person
drink a pungent poison to drive away the evil spirit inside his body which
lead him in the commission of crime.
 Grotesques Mask – they wear a grotesque’s mask and they dance around the
person who commits the crime in order to drive out the spirit in his body.
 Trephination Method – a piece of stone or wood which has a very sharp
edge will be used to make a hole at the head of the person who violates the
law and they will pray or cast out the evil spirit to get out of his body.
 Banishment – when a person commits crime he will be rejected by the
community for him not to influence the others to commit crime, if he refuses
to depart in his community he will be killed.

Early Forms of Punishment

 Flogging
 Mutilation
 Branding
 Public Humiliation
 Exile or Banishment
 Work House
Purpose of Correction

1. Punishment – punitive action, to inflict penalty which is productive of

suffering without affecting the integrity of human personality.
2. Isolation – to segregate or separate the offender from the community.
3. Deterrence – impair, bar that would be violator in the commission of crime.
4. Rehabilitation – reformation and treatment of ailments of the offender to
restore him to his normal situation and good condition.
5. Reintegration – the process of the prisoner after serving his sentence re-entry
into the community from correctional institution.

Goals of Punishment

1. General Deterrence – the state tries to convince potential criminals that the
punishment they face is certain, swift, and severe so that they will be afraid
to commit offense.
2. Specific Deterrence – convincing offenders that the pains of punishment are
greater than the benefits of crime so they will not repeat their criminal
offending.
3. Incapacitation – if dangerous criminals are kept behind bars, they will not be
able to repeat their illegal activities.
4. Retribution/Just Desert – punishment should be no more or less than the
offenders actions deserve it, it must be based on how blameworthy the
person is.
5. Equity/Restitution – convicted criminals must pay back their victims for
their loss, the justice system for the cost of processing their case and the
society for any disruption they may have caused.
6. Rehabilitation – if the proper treatment is applied, an offender will present
no further threat to society.
7. Diversion – criminals are diverted into a community correctional program
for treatment to avoid the stigma of incarceration. The convicted offender
might be asked to make payments to the crime victim or participate in a
community based program that features counselling.
8. Restorative Justice – repairs injuries suffered by the victims and community
while ensuring reintegration of the offender. Turn justice into healing
process rather than a distributor of retribution and revenge.
General Classification of Inmates

1. Sentenced Prisoners – are those are convicted by final judgement of the

crime charged against him.
2. Detention Prisoners – are those persons who are detained for the violation of
law or ordinance and has not yet convicted.

Basic Goals of correction/Prison and Jail

1. To segregate from the society, persons who by their acts have proven
themselves dangerous to society.
2. To strive at the corrections of these prisoners with the hope that upon the
return to society, they shall be able to lead a normal, well-adjusted, self-
supporting and useful lives as good and law abiding citizen.

Jail – Jails are primarily adult penal institution used for the detention of law
violators, which is administered by a province, city and municipality.

Types of Jails

1. Lock up jail – is a security facility for the temporary detention of persons

held for investigation or awaiting preliminary hearing.
2. Ordinary jail – houses for both offenders awaiting court action and those
serving short sentences with constructive work programs.
3. Workhouse jail, jail farm – is the temporary custody of a person or a
detention of a person for his own protection or care, to secure him from
harm, injury or danger.

The seven (7) correctional facilities in the Philippines

1. The New Bilibid Prison

2. CIW in Mandaluyong City
3. Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Palawan
4. Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm
5. San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in Zamboanga
6. Leyte Regional Prison in Leyte
7. Davao Prison and Penal Farm in Davao
Classification of Sentence Prisoners

1. Insular Prisoner – is a person who is sentence to serve a prison term of over

3 years.
2. City Prisoners/Provincial – is a prisoner who is sentence to serve for not
more than 3 years.
3. Municipal Prisoners – is sentenced to serve below 6 months.

Punishment – it is the infliction of some sort of pain on the offender for violating
the law, or is an instrumental use of one man for the benefit of other men.

Justification of Punishment

1. Retribution – this was a primitive form of inflicting punishment by way of

personal vengeance.
2. Atonement/Expiation – this is similar to retribution wherein the penalty is
commensurate with the gravity of the offense. Hence, it was described as a
form of group vengeance.
3. Deterrence – is based on the belief that the offender when punished and
inflicted with suffering would learn the lessons the hard way.
4. Protection – regarded as the social defense wherein the society would gain
protection by putting criminal behind bars.
5. Reformation – it operates by attempting to reform and rehabilitate law
violators, to be responsible upon return.

Pardon – is an act of grace/clemency by the chief executive, given after

conviction which exempts the offenders from the suffering criminal liability.
Commutation – it is change made by the president of the court’s decision by
reducing the degree of penalty imposed by the court.
Parole – it is the suspension of sentence of a convict after serving the
minimum term of indeterminate penalty, without granting pardon.
Probation – a disposition after which the dependant after conviction and
sentence is released subject to the conditions imposed by the court and to
supervision of a probation officer.

Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) – which are deduction to the term of
imprisonment due to the convict’s exceptional and good behaviour while in prison.
 1. During 1 to 2 years, 5 days/months
2. During 3 to 5 years, 8 days/months
3. During 6 to 10 years, 10 days/months
4. 11 years and so on, 15 days/months

Special Time Allowance for Loyalty - a deduction of 1/5 of a period of his

sentence after the convicts gives himself up to the authorities within 48 hours
following the passing of calamities/catastrophe.

Correction

Bureau of corrections (BUCCOR)

Parole and Probation Administration (PPA)
Board of Pardons and Parole (BPP)
Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP)
Provincial Rehabilitation Center (PRC-DILG)
Ciy/Municipal Rehabilitation Center (C/MRC-BJMP)
Regional Youth Rehabilitation Center (RYRC-DSWD)

Community
It refers to the civilian populace in, municipalities or public in general
and can be used interchangeably with public, citizenry, society, or private sector.

What makes a community as Pillar?

Family – Refers to the basic social group united through bonds of kinship or
marriage, present in all society. It is the primary institution that molds a child to
become a law abiding person.

School – It is said that the school is an extension of the home having the strategic
position to control crimes.

Church – The church influences people’s behaviour with the emphasis on morals
and life’s highest spiritual values, the worth and dignity of the individual, and
respect.