Humane treatment

The situation has improved since the height of Oplan Tokhang. Back then the typical jail left no room even for a decent sleep. Inmates had to take turns to be able to sleep lying down in cells that were packed nearly all the way to the ceiling.

The number of persons arrested or who surrendered in the drug war swelled the inmate population nationwide, overwhelming jails that were already filled to capacity even before the start of Tokhang.

While being in jail is better than ending up in a ditch with your head wrapped in packing tape, with your wrists bound behind your back and a bullethole in your head, even crime suspects have a right to a modicum of humane treatment. And inmates can die a slow death in a congested jail.

This week an inmate died at the crowded Pasay City Jail, reportedly from the heat. Jail custodians admitted that congestion worsened the poor ventilation in the facility. Video footage of the jail showed inmates half naked and still looking like they needed air.

The jail congestion can be horrific particularly for the innocent who are wrongly accused, whether in the drug war or other cases. But even the guilty and convicts deserve humane treatment. They are wards of the state, whose duty at the very least is to keep them alive and, as much as possible, away from abuse and harm in detention.

Lawmakers must work with the executive to correct this sorry situation, by providing additional resources to the jail and corrections agencies. These are intrinsic elements of the criminal justice system. The public generally supports any campaign against criminality. The ongoing one must be backed by the needed detention facilities.