ADMINISTRATOR CO GIVES LECTURE AT UNAFEI MEETING

In preparation for the 2020 United Nations (UN) Crime Congress, Administrator Manuel G. Co gave a lecture on “community-based approach that supports desistance” on July 3-4, 2019 at the headquarters of United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders (UNAFEI) in Tokyo, Japan.

The preparatory workshop and meeting of UNAFEI wherein Administrator Co serves as one of the lecturers was conducted to gather input on the substantive themes of the 14th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice scheduled next year in Japan.

According to UNAFEI Director Takeshi Seto, Workshop 2 of the forthcoming Congress will focus on the topic “reducing reoffending” which was the objective of conducting the said meeting of visiting experts from different countries engaged in corrections.

In his lecture, Administrator Co discussed the “individualized community-based correction” implemented by the Philippine government through the Parole and Probation Administration (PPA) with emphasis on the major final output of the Agency. He likewise highlighted the different conditions set by the law for offenders to comply strictly which will eventually lessen if not to totally eradicate the cases of reoffending.

The lecture of Administrator Co also stressed on the three-pronged rehabilitation approach being implemented by the PPA namely the Therapeutic Community Modality Program, Restorative Justice and the Volunteer Probation Assistant Program. He described the features and effects of each approach in the rehabilitation of the Agency clients.

The two-day workshop and meeting composed of three sessions was presided by UNAFEI Director Seto.