“A society should be judged not by how it treats its outstanding citizens but by how it treats
its criminals.” Dostoevsky
“I was in prison and you visited me.” Jesus Christ
FYODOR Dostoevsky observed this in reaction to the cruel penal system of Russia which in his time was predominantly Orthodox Catholic. His statement should apply more to Christian societies because of what Jesus Christ says should be a Christian’s attitude towards prisoners.
We are the only Christian country this corner of the world, yet our jail system is anything but Christian. It is not even humane. Where we should work to rehabilitate society’s erring members, most of them Catholics, our jails are pure places of punishment that more breed than prevent the commission of crimes.
Our jails are overcrowded, but why? How many are in jail because they cannot afford bail? How many are in jail awaiting trial because courts are slow to act on their cases? How many innocents are in jail because the police planted evidence against them or the judge was bribed to disregard evidence of their innocence? How many are returnees, having been in jail one or more times before?
We cannot just build more jails. We have to eliminate the causes of overcrowding which can be found in fatal flaws of our justice and penal systems. As long as these are uncorrected our need for more and bigger jails will be endless.
Moreover, as long as judges and policemen accept bribes, the former to disregard and the latter to plant evidence, the fear of many antis is justified that the death penalty will snuff the life only of poor criminals or innocent victims of our two-tiered justice system. Rich drug lords, rich government plunderers, etc. will not stop their heinous criminal activities knowing their money can save their necks every time.
Rather than debate, therefore, on the morality and effectiveness of the death penalty, Philippine society, led by its moral and spiritual mentors, Catholic bishops and clergy, should actively advocate for badly needed essential reforms in our justice and penal or jail systems.
It is right of the hierarchy and clergy of the Philippine Catholic Church to stand squarely on the anti side of the death penalty debate. Nevertheless they must be called out for a disappointing prison apostolate. They have to be called out for taking care only of their outstanding members (the regular Church-goers) and neglecting its needy and errant members.
Punishment is not necessarily the best deterrent to the commission of a crime. But if punishment must be meted it must not stifle the criminal’s human capacity to recover from his misdeeds. This is Christ’s way and how long have we been Christians, almost 500 years now?