Abstract:
This study aimed to identify the problems that inmates at the National Bilibid
Prisons initially face when they enter a prison institution and the coping mechanisms they
employ in their effort to adapt to their environment. Corollary to this an attempt was made
to ascertain what kind of prison subculture exists within the walls of the National
Penitentiary,
Fifty respondents located within the maximum-security compound of the
NBP were randomly selected and an interview schedule and an open-ended questionnaire
designed by the researcher was utilized.
The results of the survey showed that the problems prisoners face in prison are
those which pertain to the fact that they have no physical freedom, their failure to provide
for their families financially, suffering within the prison itself and rejection of certain
family members.
Regarding the ways in which inmates dealt with their problems, it was seen that
prisoners mostly utilized indirect coping mechanisms. They either turn to religious modes
of coping or carry out numerous activities to pass the time. Only a small minority take
direct action against particular problems by carrying out such activities which will
lawfully and directly resolve their predicament.
