Baseline Study on the Philippine Penal Conditions: Nurturing a Human Rights Based Approach to Penal Management ·······································································································································································································································• Detention Centers must aspire to introduce meaningful activities for inmates to while away time and to reduce the stress and other harmful effects of incarceration. Detention Centers must at least have areas for recreation and sunning. Most Detention facilities are located inside buildings and inmates are seldom exposed to sunlight. Without sufficient exposure to sunlight, inmates are physically and psychologically drained. Detention officers must therefore incorporate activities that safely bring the inmates out of their cells. Inmates must be encouraged contact to the outside world. Families, friends and other relations of inmates must be encouraged to visit. Visiting opportunities increase the chances that inmates are able to maintain their family ties. If unable to visit, communication with family members, through the use of monitored phones, must be provided. Reading materials and radio and televisions must be provided. Without meaningful activities, inmates become bored and restless. Strict visitation guidelines must be in place to secure visitors and inmates alike. v. Making it work: Inmate programming in Jails and Prisons BJMP and Provincial Jails and BuCor prisons are mandated by law to provide rehabilitation programs. The Inmate Classification Unit (for BJMP and Provincial Jails) and Reception and Diagnostic Center (for BuCor Prisons) must provide each inmate w ith an Inmate Rehabilitation Plan. The plan must identify the programs the inmate w ill participate in for at least the first two years of stay in jail or prison. The Inmate Rehabilitatio n Plan will form part of the carpeta (files) of the inmates. The rehabilitation officers, who will design the Rehabilitation Plan for succeeding years, w ill conduct assessment of the performance of the inmates. The inmates must undergo modular programs. That is, programs must have a beginning and an ending date. This will ensure that there is a basis to determine inmate completion of programs. Programs can run for 3 months, 6 months and 1 year. All programs must have clear criteria for participation and selection so that inmates needs and program content will match. The programs must have a clear description and must identify specific activities that inmates undergo to. There must be a curriculum or a syllabus that describes the content of the programs. The programs must also be based on sound criminological theory and need s to be continually evaluated. Programs that are not effective in reforming the inmates need to be discarded. All new programs must be pilot-tested for effectiveness prior to wide scale implementation. The programs can be generally classified in three broad categories: Cognitive cha nge programs, equipping programs, and reentry programs. Cognitive change programs are programs intended to change criminogenic thinking and behavioral patterns among the inmates. These programs are most helpful for inmates in the higher levels of security (111 and II) and for inmates who are new to the correctional system. The programs include: Cognitive restructuring, Anger Management, Psychotherapy, Therapeutic community, Intensive counseling, and Drug d etoxification. Faith based programs and Yoga can also be placed under this category. Equipping programs are programs intended to improve the social and technical skills of the inmates. These programs are most helpful for inmates in the low er levels of security (II and I) and for inmates who completed most of the cognitive change programs. The guard a high profile inmate, which is not a police core function , and thus depriving the public of the law enforce ment services of these police officers. The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, which has core competency in jai l management, must be empowered to take custody over all high-profile inmates undergoing trial. The BJMP must be supported in constructing a facility for these t ypes of inmates. 33