analysis on the plight of women prisoners in the Province of Tarlac,

Abstract

Poverty is one of the leading reasons behind the engagement of women in criminal behaviours. They tend to employ every means possible to support the daily necessities of their families even though it may cause them their incarceration. Police abuse of power contributes to their unlawful arrests as well. Over the years, the number of women prisoners in the rural areas has been significantly on the rise. Women prisoner's predicament in the flawed and rotten criminal justice system has been worsened and magnified by the congestion rates and the condition of prison cells and facilities as in the case of women prisoners in the Tarlac Provincial Jail. Even inside the prison facility, women also face discrimination because of their sex and economic status side by side their inability to support their dependent families outside. There is a need to improve the criminal justice system so that women prisoners' cases will be handled well. Moreover, the prison facility itself has to be enhanced so that the physical, mental, emotional and financial anguish of the women prisoners will be properly addressed and catered to.