An Exploratory Study of the Bureaucratic Strategies of the Bureau of Corrections in Addressing the Overcrowding Conditions of the New Bilibid Prison

Abstract

Prison overcrowding has been a perennial social issue in the Philippine correctional system. Prison facilities in the country are often described as overcrowded and congested resulting in poorer conditions for persons deprived of liberty. Although this issue has been experienced for decades, there is only a few research on prison studies. Analyzing the bureaucratic strategies of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) in addressing the issue of overcrowding opens discourse regarding the efficiency of current laws and institutions in place and provides opportunities for checks and balances. Key informative interviews were conducted with selected BuCor officials based on their current occupation and expertise in the field of corrections. New institutionalism was used to analyze the formal and informal institutions in the country’s main insular prison, the New Bilibid Prison (NBP). The findings of the study showed that no substantial outcomes have yet to be administered from the present bureaucratic strategies that address the overcrowding conditions in the NBP. However, the researchers found out that the informal structures–the pangkats, mayores, and kubol system are interrelated, coexisting, and operating with the formal structures of the BuCor, as a result of the lack of adequate resources and effective implementation of the said formal structures.