CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Prevention is the first imperative of justice. It is of general acceptance that to prevent crime is
preferable over penalizing criminal acts already made. This consensus may be attributable to the fact that
if a crime is already committed, the subsequent penalization or correction of the criminal would not be
sufficient recompense for the damage done both to the individual victim and the peace of the community
as a whole. Thus, the PNP’s motto is “to serve and protect” instead of “to catch and to punish.”
Crime prevention may be defined, among others, as an “attempt to reduce and deter crime and
criminals, [and] … is applied specifically to efforts made by governments to reduce crime, enforce the
law, and maintain criminal justice.”1 It may also be defined as “strategies and measures that seek to
reduce the risk of crimes occurring, and their potential harmful effects on individuals and society,
including fear of crime, by intervening to influence their multiple causes."2 The multiple causes
mentioned in these definitions have been the subject of many studies, both by local and international
entities. Among the generally accepted causes or factors which may affect criminal behavior have been
identified as, among others, the socio-economic background, family, educational background, the
community and substance use. These factors, called “risk factors”, are defined as “those characteristics,
variables, or hazards that, if present for a given individual, make it more likely that [an] individual, rather
than someone selected from the general population, will develop…[criminal behavior].”3
Identifying these risk factors would prove important in preventing crime at the roots. As declared
by the UN Social and Economic Council, there “is clear evidence that well-planned crime prevention
strategies not only prevent crime and victimization, but also promote community safety and contribute to
sustainable development of countries. Effective, responsible crime prevention enhances the quality of life
of all citizens. It has long-term benefits in terms of reducing the costs associated with the formal criminal
justice system, as well as other social costs that result from crime."
In light of the above premises, this study aims to identify such risk factors existing in Lipa City,
with the ultimate goal of helping the local, and if necessary, national authorities, put more focus on what
will be identified as those factors having more bearing on criminal behavior. As will be framed, this study

1. United Nations Document S/2004/616 (http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N04/395/29/PDF/N0439529.pdf)

2. UN Economic Council Resolution 2002/13 (https://www.unodc.org/documents/justice-and-prison-reform/crimeprevention/resolution_2002-
13.pdf)
3. Risk Factors for Delinquency: An Overview – Michael Shader, US Department of Justice https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/frd030127.pdf)
intends to achieve this goal by identifying possible risk factors present in or experienced by convicted
criminals from Lipa City such as: (a) age when the crime was committed, (b) civil status, (c) gender, (d)
economic background, (e) educational background, (f) history of criminal behavior in the family, (g)
substance use, and (h) whether or not an individual is originally from Lipa City.
The risk factors abovementioned will be identified through the use of questionnaires to be
accomplished by inmates, during the period between June of 2014 to October of the same year, who are
residents of Lipa City at the time of the commission of the crime, in the BJMP – Lipa City.
A Study on the Profile of the Inmates in the BJMP Detention Center in Lipa City

Amparo, Marc Aaron

Gonzales, Ezekiel
Javier, Nico
Malabanan, Jonathan
Tapalla, Jesuric
CR4A