Pubdate: Sat, 05 Mar 2005 Source: Manila Times (Philippines) Copyright: 2005, The Manila Times Contact: http://www.manilatimes.net/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/921 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prison.htm (Incarceration) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/areas/Philippines SLOW RESOLUTION OF DRUG CASES; OVERCROWDING JAILS The government's intensified campaign against illegal drugs and the slow pace of litigation have caused the prison population to dramatically increase, said the US State Department's report on human-rights conditions in the Philippines. Overcrowded cells force inmates to take turns sleeping on the cot; others are forced to sleep standing, the report said, adding that many prisons lack basic infrastructure. Jails in Metro Manila operate at 323 percent capacity, the report continued. As a result, inmates have limited access to sanitary facilities, lack exercise and are inadequately fed. With the P35 daily subsistence allowance, the inmates depended on their family for food and need to bribe guards to receive food rations. Some prison wardens allow the wives or children to move in with inmates or stay in the prison compound because they help feed the prisoners. Lack of potable water and poor ventilation continued to cause health problems in jails. According to the Department of the Interior and Local Government records, an estimated 57,824 inmates are crammed in detention centers nationwide. Prison regulations require separate holding facilities for male and female prisoners and that detainees are supposed to be supervised by a guard of the same gender. The report noted, though, that several violations of this regulation haven been reported in provincial and municipal prisons. The PNP recorded a total of 35 successful prison escapes involving 115 prisoners. Of the escapees, 54 remained at large, while 61 were recaptured. Police officials said lenient security and the poor quality of detention facilities for the escape tries. - ---