Far Eastern University

Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts

___________________________________________________________________________
PAGSIBOL: A HOLISTIC REHABILITATIVE PENITENTIARY COMPLEX: REFORMING THE
ARCHITECTURE OF INCARCERATION THROUGH HUMANIST AND FORENSIC DESIGN

ABSTRACT
Convicted individuals are treated with much negative stigma and to an extent, their needs—from
psychological to physiological are neglected—indicative of a deterrent culture that berates basic human
needs. Studies have shown that prisoners are subject to an environment that degrades their human dignity,
such as when their basic needs are compromised, access to sanitation is scarce, they are forced to live in
overcrowded cells, and above all, they are being discriminated by the prison authorities (Ofori, 2020).
However, with the turn towards modern developments, a community that will braid law and order with
medical care—and it is in this aspect that architecture can serve as a universal remedy.

This thesis investigates how architecture promotes holistic behavioral reform among Persons
Deprived of Liberty (PDL). It is anchored on bettering human rights and inciting societal reformation in
terms of legal consequences; a great need since it will pave the way for pioneering humanist architecture.
Moreover, it cements the correlation of architecture and psychology—establishing an archetypal design
wherein spaces are imagined in such a way that will affect the human mind.

It will also be an instrument that will upend the inhumane system of subjecting PDLs to harsh and
stressful environments since it will prove that through architectural design, it is possible for PDLs to reduce
the recidivism rate and consequently contribute to the betterment of the society. Moreover, its focus is
anchored on humanist design and its confounding psychological effects that give a second chance to
convicted individuals to be an asset and member of the society. This thesis will also be an ally for the
country’s law enforcement in that it reinvents the nation’s criminal justice system.

Keywords: human rights, recidivism rate, criminal justice system, humanist architecture, psychiatric
rehabilitation, psychological health, forensic design

FINDINGS

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) together with the Bureau of Jail
Management and Penology (BJMP), the current state of detention and correctional facilities in the
Philippines do not have adequate and proper access to sanitation, clean and safe drinking water, and a
humane environment. Due to the overpopulation of jails, a room that is designed to shelter and house only
30 PDLs currently boast a number that reached 130 PDLs, 10 times higher than the prescribed and set

Jamilou Joymie N. Ramirez 2014647271@feu.edu.ph

Architecture Department, IARFA, Manila, Philippines
Far Eastern University
Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts
___________________________________________________________________________
guidelines and design standards. This leads to a myriad of mishaps that include but are not limited to the
following: spread of contagious diseases, uncomfortable living quarters, and of course, the abuse of human
rights.

Furthermore, despite the availability and establishment of design standards for detention facilities by
the United Nations, much of the country’s prisons do not at all adhere to such guidelines, therefore resulting
to poor and inhumane environment.

In addition, the proposed thesis hinges upon the need for more humane prisons, thus revolutionizing,
redefining, and reinventing the criminal justice and incarceration in the country.

Several studies and research have founded that not only does the most of the country’s prisons
exhibit thorough disregard of the basic human needs, but it also infringes upon human rights of the
individuals or PDLs. Moreover, the research focus of the thesis proposal revolves around the union of law
and order as well as clinical and psychosocial care, where it seeks to provide comfort and chance for the
PDLs to be accepted as civilized members of the community through proper rehabilitation and counselling.

The BJMP has launched a design initiative for an actual project for the New Caloocan City Jail last
2019. With this, the government has allotted plans for building new jail facilities in the metropolis.

Considering that the state of prisons in the country now is a living proof of an inhumane system, it is
all the more reason to call on the government to earmark funds for building the facility. Lastly, this is a
proposed detention facility which will upend the current status of local prisons.

REFERENCES

[1] Conde, C. (2016, March 8). Injustice and misery in PH jails. Retrieved from:
https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/03/08/injustice-and-misery-ph-jails

[2] Connellan, K., Gaardboe, M., Riggs, D., Due, C., Reinschmidt, A., & Mustillo, L. (2013). Stressed
Spaces: Mental Health and Architecture. HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 6(4),
127–168. https://doi.org/10.1177/193758671300600408

[3] International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). (n.d.). Towards Humane Prisons. Retrieved from:
https://www.icrc.org/en/publication/4286-towards-humane-prisons

[4] Jewkes, Y. (2018). Just design: Healthy prisons and the architecture of hope. Australian & New Zealand
Journal of Criminology, 51(3), 319–338. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004865818766768

Jamilou Joymie N. Ramirez 2014647271@feu.edu.ph

Architecture Department, IARFA, Manila, Philippines
Far Eastern University
Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts
___________________________________________________________________________
[5] Lines R. (2008). The right to health of prisoners in international human rights law. International journal
of prisoner health, 4(1), 3–53. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449200701862145

[6] Ofori, F. (2020, January). The Inhumane Treatment of People in Jail Centers: Rethinking the Duty to
Protect the Health and Dignity of Prisoners in Ghana. Retrieved from:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338867148_The_Inhumane_Treatment_of_People_in_Jail_Center
s_Rethinking_the_Duty_to_Protect_the_Health_and_Dignity_of_Prisoners_in_Ghana

[7] Smith, P. (2006). The Effects of Solitary Confinement on Prison Inmates: A Brief History and Review of
the Literature. Crime and Justice, 34(1), 441-528. doi:10.1086/500626

Jamilou Joymie N. Ramirez 2014647271@feu.edu.ph

Architecture Department, IARFA, Manila, Philippines