The government needs to take a new look at the need to send criminals to prison. People believe criminals pay their debts to society by serving prison terms. Not true. Many big-time criminals serve bogus imprisonment, which is another form of injustice committed against the people.
Big-time criminals, including known drug lords, wallow in luxury inside the prison walls. Their cells look like hotel suites complete with exercise and entertainment facilities. They have communication system that allows them to run their illicit trade.
As a result, going to prison no longer serves as deterrent against crime. Serving time at the National Penitentiary no longer looks like punishment because of the comfortable accommodations. The criminals, who are free to do what they want, shattered our trust in the justice system. They rendered the jails unnecessary.
Big-time criminals treat the National Penitentiary like real estate property that can be bought. They act like owners exercising proprietary rights, and corrupt guards and officials do their bidding. You can practically hear the criminals sing in the shower.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima demolished their artificial world in a series of raids inside the prison. She tore down walls, removed the expensive facilities and transferred the big-time prisoners to a real prison. She sacked several prison guards and officials.
The thought was that the government regained ownership of the National Penitentiary after the raids. It would revert to being a prison and not a hotel owned by big-time prisoners.
But recent reports showed De Lima’s efforts were not enough. Big-time prisoners still controlled the facility. Last Christmas, they held a big celebration and invited as guests “movie starlets,” a euphemism referring to young and sexy women. It was clear: bogus incarceration persists.
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