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.
