The head of the Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care of the Philippine Catholic bishops’ conference is seeking a dialogue with legislators to explore ways to improve the country’s criminal justice system.
Bishop Joel Baylon of Legazpi, chairman of the commission, said Congress should formulate laws and effectively implement existing ones aimed at modernizing and reforming the judicial and correctional systems.
He said that instead of reimposing capital punishment, authorities should make the justice system more restorative and rehabilitative, rather than punitive.
“This will enable our convicted [persons deprived of liberty] to be truly reformed and, after they have served time, be ready to return to the mainstream of society,” read the bishop’s statement titled “Stand for Life” released on August 5.
The Church commission also urged Congress to stop graft and corruption in various institutions that manage jails and penitentiaries “so that the basic human rights of PDLs are respected, their legitimate demands properly heard, and their needs adequately responded to.”
Bishop Baylon maintained that the death penalty violates the inherent dignity of a person, adding that “no person, no matter how evil he is perceived to be, is beyond reformation.”
The bishop said there is also no direct evidence to prove that the death penalty deters crime, adding that it is “tilted” against the most vulnerable sectors of society, the marginalized, and the poor.
The House Committee on Justice this week started hearings on the various death penalty bills in Congress.
