Andaya, Joseph Renz T.

BSCRIM 3-B

To ensure that probationers, parolees, and first-time minor drug offenders are rehabilitated and
reintegrated into society as law-abiding, productive, and sociable members.
Programs of carefully thought-out supervision for probationers, parolees, pardonees, and first-
time minor drug offenders that are in line with government-wide program thrusts like Sariling-
Sikap and jail decongestion
Creation of creative, technically and financially possible projects for the moral, spiritual, and
economic upliftment of probationers, parolees, and first-time petty drug offenders using
accessible community resources.

To aid with these clients' rehabilitation, the administration has implemented a unified and
integrated treatment plan. This coordinated and comprehensive program includes (1) The
Therapeutic Community Modality (2) The Restorative Justice Principles and Concepts and (3) the
Use of Volunteer Probation Aides (VPAs). The Therapeutic Community Modality is a self-help
social learning treatment model used for clients with problems of drug abuse and other behavioral
problems such as alcoholism, stealing, and other anti-social tendencies. As a treatment model, it
includes four (4) categories, namely, behavior management, intellectual/spiritual aspect,
emotional and social aspects, and vocational/survival aspects.

In this regard, the Therapeutic Community Modality provides a well-defined structure for a
synchronized and focused implementation of the various intervention strategies/activities
undertaken by the Agency such as:

1. Individual and group counseling

This activity aims to support the clients in their efforts to organize their issues, find answers,
settle disputes, and help them resolve them. Individual or group interactions with Agency
officials could be used to accomplish this.

2. Moral, Spiritual, Values Formation

Seminars, lectures or trainings offered or arranged by the Agency comprise these rehabilitation
activities. Active NGOs, schools, civic and religious organizations are tapped to facilitate the
activities.

3. Work or Job Placement/Referral

Categorized as an informal program wherein a client is referred for work or job placement
through the officer’s own personal effort, contact or information.

4. Vocational/Livelihood and Skills Training

The program includes the setting up of seminars and skills training classes like food preservation
and processing, candle making, novelty items and handicrafts making, etc., to help the clients
earn extra income.

5. Health, Mental and Medical Services

To address some of the basic needs of clients and their families, medical missions are organized
to provide various forms of medical and health services including physical examination and
treatment, free medicines and vitamins, dental examination and treatment, drug dependency test
and laboratory examination.

Psychological testing and evaluation as well as psychiatric treatment are likewise provided for by
the Agency’s Clinical Services Division and if not possible by reason of distance, referrals are
made to other government accredited institutions.

6. Literacy and Education

In coordination with LGU programs, adult education classes are availed of to help clients learn
basic writing, reading and arithmetic. Likewise, literacy teach-ins during any sessions conducted
for clients become part of the module. This is particularly intended for clients who are “no read,
no write” to help them become functionally literate.

7. Community Service

This program refers to the services in the community rendered by clients for the benefit of society.
It includes tree planting, beautification drives, cleaning and greening of surroundings,
maintenance of public parks and places, garbage collection, blood donation and similar socio-
civic activities.

8. Client Self-Help Organization

This program takes the form of cooperatives and client associations wherein the clients form
cooperatives and associations as an economic group to venture on small-scale projects.

9. Payment of Civil Liability

The payment of civil liability or indemnification to victims of offenders are pursued despite the
economic status of clients. Payment of obligations to the victims instills in the minds of the clients
their responsibility and the consequences of the harm they inflicted to others.

10. Environment and Ecology

To instill awareness and concern in preserving ecological balance and environmental health,
seminars/lectures are conducted wherein clients participate. These seminars/lectures tackle anti-
smoke belching campaign, organic farming, waste management, segregation and disposal and
proper care of the environment.

11. Sports and Physical Fitness

Activities that provide physical exertion like sports, games and group play are conducted to
enhance the physical well-being of clients. Friendly competition of clients from the various offices
of the sectors, together with the officers, provide an enjoyable and healthful respite.

Restorative justice implementation is a key component of the Therapeutic Community treatment

model's effectiveness. Offenders are acknowledged to compensate victims and provide
community services to aid in the healing of the rift caused by their actions, underscoring the
concepts of restorative justice. In particular situations, clients' relationships with their victim and
the community are repaired and/or restored through the use of mediation and conferencing.
The use of the therapeutic community treatment model along with the concepts of restorative
justice would be further strengthened with the recruitment, training, and deployment of volunteer
probation assistants because the rehabilitation of clients takes place in the community (VPAs).
The VPA program is a tactic to encourage as many residents as possible to participate in the
community-based probation and parole program. Since the VPAs live in the same neighborhood
as the clients they oversee, the principles of restorative justice are followed via them with
greater depth. As a result, it is doable for the volunteers to find assistance for clients'
requirements and aid the field officers in keeping an eye on the probationers, parolees, and
pardonees.
Probationers, parolees, pardonees, and first-time minor drug offenders have experienced great
success with the rehabilitation and reformation process thanks to the integration of the
Therapeutic Community treatment modality, Restorative Justice paradigm, and deployment of
VPAs into one rehabilitation program.

Additionally, the agency thinks that the family of the client plays a significant role in the
rehabilitation process. For this reason, the administration adopted the Integrated Allied Social
Services program to take care of the requirements of the client's children and other minor
dependents. Under the aforementioned program, minor dependents get growth and
development-related interventions to support their development as effective, law-abiding, and
productive adults.

The Philippines has been supportive of the goals of community-based treatment and has
continuously adopted measures consistent with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for
Noncustodial measures or the Tokyo Rules. In order to appreciate fully the goals and
advantages of community-based treatment in the context of the Philippines, there is a need to
revisit the old and traditional concepts of treating offenders and those of emerging ones,
specifically from a social development framework. Social development, as defined by the United
Nations, is the greater capacity of the social system, social structure, institutions, services and
policy to utilize resources to generate favorable changes in levels of living, interpreted in the
broad sense as related to accepted social values and a better distribution of income, wealth and
opportunities. Social development therefore, covers a comprehensive, yet integrated, field that
encompasses education, health and nutrition, livelihood, social welfare, etc. It involves the
services of educators, medical practitioners, social workers, psychologists and other social
scientists that contribute to improvement in the quality of human life. Doreen Elliott (1993)
argues that social development values represent an ideology close to that of the values of social
work, except that the values are less individually focused. She argues further that while social
work is essentially individually oriented and politically conservative, social development is
globally and radically oriented. Omer (1979) suggests that human dignity, equality and social
justice are key values in a social development approach. These values are therefore consistent
with those adopted by the United Nations Minimum Standard that encourages countries to
pursue crime prevention and criminal justice within the framework of the promotion of human
rights, social justice and social development. From this social development context, it is best to
examine old concepts related to the treatment of offender vis-a-vis the new approaches in this
field.
Elliott, D., (1993) that social development values represent an ideology close to that of the
values of social work, except that the values are less individually focused.
Omer (1979) suggests that human dignity, equality and social justice are key values in a social
development approach.
https://www.unafei.or.jp/publications/pdf/RS_No54/No54_22VE_Yangco.pdf