BUREAU OF JAIL MANAGEMENT AND PENOLOGY, Health, Well-being 

The study looked into the health and well-being mandate of the BJMP which is directed towards the increasing healthcare needs of its personnel. The data gathering phase focused on the assessment of the level of acceptability of implementation and administration of this mandate in terms of: infrastructure, facilities, and equipment; personnel and support staff; system and policies; and initiatives. The challenges in this aspect were also identified in order to come up with a suitable Action Plan. The explanatory sequential research design was used and this led to the gathering of both quantitative and qualitative data. Data for this study were gathered using surveys, interviews, and documentary/policy review.

Results revealed that all parameters used to measure acceptability of implementation of health and well-being mandate got a moderate rating, signifying the need for improvements on all aspects. This means that there are also infrastructure, personnel, policies, and initiatives in place but also numerous areas for improvements. It was also noted that there were evident challenges including the following: (1) Insufficient facilities where medical and healthcare needs of personnel could be provided; (2) Limited healthcare professionals and inadequate training; (3) Continuity and effectiveness of implementation of relevant policies; and (4) Sporadic and fragmented initiatives and programs for health and well-being. Analysis of the findings led to the development of a comprehensive Action Plan for the health and well-being pf BJMP personnel.