A Case Study on Post-COVID-19 Institutional Policies and Reintegration at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City

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.