Crime and Punishment in thePhilippines

Abstract

The colonization of the Philippines by Western powers has produced an eclectic legal system that combines continental European civil law tradition and Anglo‐American common law tradition, with a sprinkling of indigenous customary law, Islamic law, and contemporary law. The amalgamation of legal influences can be seen in the country's criminal law and justice system. This entry examines the Philippine government's response to crime and criminals in light of the region's historical, cultural, and political development.

A politics of suffering: Anarchism and embodiment in the life of Voltairine de Cleyre

“…De Cleyre framed crime and punishment through the lenses of suffering and empathy: crime was created by suffering, whether from desperation due to poverty or from the internal illness of 'born criminals', and punishment only enlarged and perpetuated that suffering. 37 Less than three months after being shot by Helcher in 1902, de Cleyre gave a lecture arguing that crime was created by unjust social systems and attempts to punish criminals only damaged society further. In this speech, she called for an end to punishment and incarceration.…”