The problem with living spaces has somehow spilled over into the country’s prisons, a second area where chronic congestion issues are being magnified by the pandemic. Separated from the rest of the population, persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) could not be physically isolated from one another. One account describes how, in a jail dormitory, “518 men crowded into a space meant for 170” so that “inmates were cupped into each other, limbs draped over a neighbour’s waist or knee, feet tucked against someone else’s head, too tightly packed to toss and turn in the sweltering heat.”97 Almendral, A. (2019, January 7). Where 518 Inmates Sleep in Space for 170, and Gangs Hold it Together. The New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/07/world/asia/philippines‐manila‐jail‐overcrowding.html
This way of living inside prisons is unsurprising given that in November 2019, there were 215,000 PDLs in facilities that could only house 40,610.98 Anonymous. (No date). Philippines World Prison Brief Data. World Prison Brief. Retrieved May 20, 2020, from https://www.prisonstudies.org/country/philippines
On April 17 of this year, The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) reported that the national congestion rate of the prison system was 534 percent.99 Batnag, D. (2020, April 17). Coronavirus: Philippines Scrambling to Head off Public Health Crisis in Prisons. The Straits Times. Retrieved May 20, 2020, from https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se‐asia/coronavirus‐philippines‐scrambling‐to‐head‐off‐public‐health‐crisis‐in‐prisons
As of May 20 of this year, the Philippines had the second highest prison occupancy level in the world.100 Anonymous. (No date). Highest to Lowest ‐ Occupancy Level (Based on Official Capacity). World Prison Brief. Retrieved May 20, 2020, from https://www.prisonstudies.org/highest‐to‐lowest/occupancy‐level?field_region_taxonomy_tid=All