QuestionsQuestions (Republic Act No. 10575)
The Act is known as the “Bureau of Corrections Act of 2013.”
To promote general welfare and safeguard prisoners’ basic rights; strengthen government capability for efficient correctional services; modernize, professionalize, and restructure BuCor by upgrading facilities, increasing personnel, improving qualifications, and standardizing base pay/benefits to be at par with BJMP.
Safekeeping is the custodial component ensuring national inmates’ basic needs are provided, they are incapacitated from committing further crimes, and are cut off from criminal networks while serving sentence, including protection against illegal organized armed groups that may attack or rescue inmates or seize firearms.
Reformation consists of acts ensuring released national inmates are no longer harmful to the community by being reformed individuals prepared for normal and productive life upon reintegration into mainstream society.
National inmates sentenced to more than three (3) years.
(1) Moral and Spiritual Program; (2) Education and Training Program; (3) Work and Livelihood Program; (4) Sports and Recreation Program; (5) Health and Welfare Program; (6) Behavior Modification Program, including Therapeutic Community.
They are personnel employed to implement reformation programs and whose work requires proximate or direct contact with inmates, including various professionals such as teachers, medical personnel, psychologists/psychiatrists, social workers, guidance counselors, and similar professional skills relevant to reformation.
To conduct classification of each admitted inmate based on security risk and sentence, including skills/talents and physical/spiritual/social/mental/psychological evaluations and behavioral assessments to guide preparation of individual reformation programs.
Inmates shall be internally classified and segregated based on crimes committed according to related penal codes and other related special laws/customs/immigration laws (e.g., crimes against persons, property, chastity, etc.).
To handle pre-release and post-release programs; classify inmates according to skills for referral/endorsement to participating companies/corporations for BuCor On-The-Job Training; evaluate and apply necessary programs for readiness to join mainstream society upon release.
Custodial personnel-to-inmate ratio of 1:7 and reformation personnel-to-inmate ratio of 1:24.
Citizen; good moral character; pass psychiatric/psychological, drug and physical tests; possess a baccalaureate degree; have appropriate civil service eligibility; not dishonorably discharged/dismissed for cause; not convicted by final judgment of a crime involving moral turpitude; meet height requirements (with waivers for cultural communities). Also, age limits for new applicants (not less than 21 or more than 40).
Five (5) years from the effectivity of the Act to obtain the minimum educational qualification and eligibility with subsidiary assistance.
Corrections Officer I up to Corrections Chief Superintendent are appointed by the Director General of Corrections and attested by the CSC. The Director General and Deputy Director positions are appointed by the President upon recommendation of the Secretary of DOJ with proper endorsement by the CSC.
The DOJ, as a line bureau and constituent unit, maintains administrative supervision under the Administrative Code framework, but retains authority to review, reverse, revise, or modify BuCor decisions in the exercise of regulatory or quasi-judicial functions.
BuCor is headed by a Director assisted by three Deputy Directors (Administration; Security and Operations; Reformation), appointed by the President upon recommendation of the DOJ Secretary. Their tour of duty is not to exceed six (6) years, extendible in times of war or other national emergency declared by Congress.