Abstract:
This study explores post-COVID-19 institutional policies and reintegration
practices at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City, analyzing
the prison as a microcosm of Philippine society. Utilizing a qualitative case study
approach, the research draws from interviews with three (3) institutional staff members
and giving questionnaires to five (5) Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs), analyzed
through NVivo software. Grounded in Institutional Theory and Detention Theory, and
framed within Area Studies, the study examines how CIW adapted to pandemic-induced
policy shifts and how these changes affected the lived experiences of incarcerated
women. Four major themes emerged: family and community reintegration, personal
transformation, social reintegration challenges, and institutional support systems. The
research findings show that reintegration is not just an individual process but one
influenced by institutionally driven frameworks and socio-cultural forces. The research
makes policy recommendations for strengthening community connections, psycho-social
interventions, and feedback mechanisms to policy, leading to a more inclusive, genderaware,
and context-specific form of justice and rehabilitation in the Philippines.
