The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) believes that ensuring the rule of law equally requires enforcing appropriate sentences and punishments for those convicted with crimes. And once within prisons, limited liberty is to be expected. CHR, however, reminds the government that there are guiding principles such as the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners otherwise known as the Mandela Rules, which continue to form part of the mandate of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) under RA 10575 or the Bureau of Corrections Act of 2013.

The said standards include prohibiting punishments that may be prejudicial to the physical and mental health of a prisoner. It was also determined that supervised visitations and contact with the outside world, by correspondence and regular visits, as well as exercise and sports, are part of the minimum standards. The goal then of prisons should be to reform persons deprived of liberty, to uphold human dignity while being accountable for their faults, rather than being key in imposing policies that advocate for cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.

Rather than merely applying a blanket punishment, we equally urge the government to take a look at improving jail management

Rather than merely applying a blanket punishment, we equally urge the government to take a look at improving jail management—from their processes to personnel—to ensure that no unlawful act happen within the prison systems. It may also be good to revisit the implementation of RA 10575 intended to strengthen BuCor so that it can better respond to scenarios such as the one they currently face.###