A reading programme for prisoners in jails in the Philippines is supporting their education as well as enabling them to shorten their sentences.
The conditions in detention facilities in the Philippines, which have been described as “inhumane” by one of the country’s Supreme Court Justices, are expected to improve dramatically as the Southeast Asian nation moves towards adopting rules which focus on the human rights and dignity of prisoners and recommend the minimum standard of treatment across detention facilities.
A more humane approach to dealing with people accused of breaking the law in the Philippines is helping relieve overcrowding in one of the world’s most congested prison systems.
An ex-prisoner in the Philippines, released from jail as a result of a UN-supported Government programme to tackle overcrowding in detention facilities, has spoken of his joy ‘sleeping and eating’ as a free man.
