Baseline Srudy on the Philippine Penal Conditions: Nurturing a Human Rights Based Approach to Penal Management •······································································································································································································································· with Ph ilippine Laws. The physical conditions are better than most PNP detention facilities but they still resemble the multi-occupancy and limited space characteristics of the NBI and PDEA Detention Centers. The AFP Hold ing Cells are the most spacious and it provides individual bed bunks for each inmate. Howeve r, the limited number of inmates in AFP facilities makes them resemble solitary confinement cells where inmates have limited interactions with other inmates and staff. The lack of facilities and space faced by the different penal facilities is compounded by the insufficiency of personnel and operational resources. Again, the level of personnel and resource deficiency varies from agency to agency but it is safe to say that most penal facilities needs improvement in these areas. The BuCor, for example, has personnel strength of 2,568 in the year 2013 w hen the inmate population was 37, 787 inmates. This personnel strength is pegged to the same number but the population is currently at 41 ,000 inmates. The BJMP fared a little bit better, compared to the BuCor, in terms of personnel quantity and quality. Since the passage of the modernization law of the BJMP, it was able to attract and recruit better quality officers. However. the fast-paced growth of inmate population still outpaces the growth of the BJMP personnel. As such. the custodial and rehabilitation ratio of personnel to inmates, for both the BuCor Prisons and BJMP Jails are way below Applying the Nelson Mandela Rules the idea l of 1:7 and 1:24, respectively. 17 ..·................................................. ··... from admission to release* Again, the number of personnel in the provincial jails is not regularly collecte d, and their personnel strength is hard to estimate. Reports from individual Provincial Jails do indicate, however, that their custodial and re habilitatio n ratios are similar, if not worse off, compa red to BJMP Jails and BuCor Prisons. Additionally, the standards of personnel in the Provincial Jails are qualitatively lower compared to BJMP Jails. and, with the modernization program about to t ake effect, to BuCor Priso ns. At least for the BJMP and the BuCor, a college education is a requirement for entry of all personnel, and both institution s have a training cente r for its new recruits. Both the BJMP and the BuCor also offer continuing enrichment programs for their personnel. The same cannot be said of Provincial Jails. Most provincial jail personnel are appointees o f the pro vincial governor, selected after local e lections, and with limited training on jail management. While the PNP, NBI, PDEA. Bl, and the AFP offer training to their respective personne l, these trainings are centered on law e nforcement a nd national security and not on the management of PDLs. Personnel assigned in the Detentio n Centers of these agencies a re usua lly short in number and a re supplemented by "ad hoc" employees assigned from other units. 17 14 The current ratio stands at 1:60 for custodial and 1:126 for reformation officers. The 122 Rules cover all aspects of prison management and outline the agreed minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners - whether pre-trial or convicted. Rules 1-5 provide the following basic principles: • Prisoners must be treated with respect for their inherent dignity and value as human beings. • Torture or other ill-treatment is prohibited. • Prisoners should be treated according to their needs, without discrimination. • The purpose of prison is to protect society and reduce reoffending. • The safety of prisoners, staff, service providers and visitors at all times is paramount. *Source: Short Guide on the Nelson Mandela Rules, Penal Management Reform, 2016 .•······•·••·······•••••········•••······•••••······•.