Pubdate: Mon, 25 Jul 2005
Source: People's Journal (Philippines)
Copyright: 2005 People's Journal
Contact: http://www.journal.com.ph/contactus.asp
Website: http://www.journal.com.ph/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3381
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prison.htm (Incarceration)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Philippines

SOLON: RP SENDING TOO FEW CRIMINALS TO PRISON

WHY is crime still rampant nationwide despite the death penalty? One
of the reasons could be that the country is not sending enough
criminals to prison, according to a lawmaker who is opposed to capital
punishment.

Lone Catanduanes Rep. Joseph Santiago (NPC) said the Philippines has
one of the world's lowest prison population rates at 107:100,000 (or
107 prisoners for every 100,000 population).

Citing statistics from the International Center for Prison Studies,
Santiago said the prison population rate of the Philippines is "way
too low" when compared to other countries.

"The United States has a prison population rate of 726:100,000, which
is almost seven times our rate. Thailand and Taiwan have prison
population rates of 264:100,000 and 252:100,000, respectively, both of
which are more than double our rate," Santiago said.

Santiago said Malaysia also has a higher prison population rate of
170:100,000; Brunei, 127:100,000; and South Korea,
121:100,000.

The Philippines, with a population of 82.5 million, has 88,620
prisoners. The Bureau of Corrections holds 27,582 convicts sentenced
to at least three years in prison. The Bureau of Jail Management and
Penology has custody of 61,038 inmates facing short sentences as well
as suspected and accused felons still facing prosecution or trial.

Santiago cited U.S. Justice Department figures suggesting that the
sustained increase in the U.S. prison population over the years has
had a direct positive effect in suppressing crime.

In 2004, the U.S., with a population of 293 million, had over 2.1
million inmates in prison.

"The U.S. prison population increased by 3.5 percent annually from
1994 to 2003. Over the same period, violent crimes in the U.S. fell by
33 percent while property offenses dropped by 23 percent," Santiago
said.

"Just to illustrate how low our prison population rate is, we will
have to throw in prison over 600,000 people just to be able to match
the U.S. (prison population) rate," Santiago pointed out.

"An efficient prison complex is one of the five pillars of the
criminal justice system. Incarceration is one of the tools available
for the State to protect the people. We should use our prisons more
aggressively, enlarge and improve them if necessary, to fight crime,"
Santiago said.

Santiago said he and other pro-life members of Congress would prefer
the adoption of a new "get tough on crime policy" that would send more
offenders to prison, instead of the implementation of the death penalty.

"That we are not sending enough felons to prison may be indicative of
the inadequacies of the four other moving parts of the justice system,
such as weak law enforcement, deficient prosecution, overloaded courts
and a community lacking encouragement to fight crime," Santiago added.
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