BY: AMOR Y. SALUDAR
CEBU, August 12 (PIA) --- The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) strengthens its implementation of its community driven programs for inmates while inside the jail and when they are mainstreamed with the community.
During the Association of Government Information Officers (AGIO-7) forum, BJMP-7 regional chaplain and assistant regional director for operations,Supt Bartolome Sagadal said that 'Come-Pa-Release-Me-Po' Ministries answered the needs of inmates to gain self confidence and the feeling that they are still useful and still part of the community.
Sagadal said, 'Come-Pa-Release-Me-Po' is a community empowerment driven, a post release intervention with holistic approach for inmates.
The program include community empowerment services; para-legal assistance service; religious and guidance counseling; education and vocational skills training; advocacy, visitation, and networking on basic needs; sports, culture and arts development; ecological care and waste management; medical, optical, dental and psychiatric and health service; post-release assistance and referral service and the temporal management commission.
Under these services for inmates in the prison cells in Central Visayas is therapeutic community modality (TCM) that organizes and associates inmates on sustainable assistance (AISA) and jail pastoral and development council.
Through “Bail Now, Work and Pay Later” under the para-legal assistance service, the bureau commits to assist the legal needs of inmates and follow up cases especially those that have been scheduled for hearing, over-staying and other legal concerns by effecting applicable laws.
Building Faith Communities and Worships under then religious and guidance counseling service identify and monitor the religious affiliation of the inmates and encourage them to participate in the activities of their own religion to avoid religious confusion.
Vocational skills training service then introduce inmates to re-entry education agenda to the poor (REAP) alternative learning system (ALS), technical education, vocational and livelihood institute (TEVOLI).
The inmates are also introduced to sports clinic, culture and arts training, music, dance, visual arts therapy, theater arts and cultural festivals as part of the sports, culture and arts development services.
Inmates are also taught with proper waste segregation, production of ecological handicrafts, vermin culture, organic fertilizer composting, and jail beautification and greening.
Total well being of the inmates is also ensured by encouraging them to actively participate in health care management inside the jail.
BJMP-7 also advocates for the campaign to ensure sustainability of inmates’ renewal and transformation towards its re-integration to the society.
On of the approaches geared toward these services is the establishment of Pagkakaisa ng mga Layang Bilanggo (PAGLAYA) Cooperative.
'Tulong Mo, Alagaan Ko' under the temporal management commission is also established to channel all budget allocated and donation for the jail and the inmates are used in initiatives that would benefit the jail and the inmates.
Sagadal said that for the livelihood programs “Our inmates are engaged into making crafts for exports like basketry, fashion jewelries and furniture making.”
Lapulapu City Jail inmates are also linked with Trigger Company in Mactan Economic Processing Zone (MEPZ) maker of chainsaw/circular in Lapu lapu City. In this note production assembly area is formed inside the jail.
Talisay City Jail inmates are also into basket making. Sagadal said that inmates are paid per pieces they have produce and according to sizes of some crafts.
“We have to make them busy and productive and we have to tap their expertise and skills to pre-occupy their minds away from their present predicament," Sagadal concluded. (mbcn/ays/PIA-7)