Wednesday, October 08, 2008 BJMP urges communities to accept released inmates
THE Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) 7 is appealing to the public to accept the released inmates and give them a chance to become part of the community once again.
Rev. Fr. John Buban, BJMP 7 chaplain, said this is the essence of BJMP’s celebration of the Prison Awareness Month with the theme, “Your love is my life, guide and strength.”
Buban said a detainee, who comes out of jail either after serving a term or after getting exonerated from a case, carries the stigma of being a prisoner and that the tendency is for him to be condemned by the public.
Because of this, he would go back to his old ways as a ticket to go back to jail where he would feel he belongs.
Buban hopes for the public to open up “your heart and mind” to become an instrument for the inmates’ rehabilitation.
The BJMP 7 will kick off the weeklong celebration on Oct. 18.
Buban and Mandaue City Jail Warden Simeon Dolojo, during yesterday’s Association of Government Information Officers (AGIO) forum, said the BJMP has been initiating development programs for the inmates in the region.
In Mandaue, Dolojo said livelihood programs have been introduced to the inmates to build up their skills, which they can use once they go out of jail.
At present, inmates at the Mandaue City Jail have their hands on a bakery and a welding/automotive shop.
Dolojo said the inmates were able to assemble a multicab, which was given to the jail in Ubay, Bohol.
Proceeds of the bakery were used for the prisoners’ toiletries and a portion was deposited in their respective accounts in the jail’s cooperative.
Some inmates were also busy making candles, which they hope to sell late this month in time for All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
Buban said the BJMP 7 is planning to build a 10-hectare Metro Cebu Rehabilitation Center in Barangay Sudlon, Cebu City.
Buban said it hopes to cater to prisoners who are serving less than a three-year jail term. (JTG)
