<p>The focus of this thesis is the ill-treatment of prisoners in the Philippines, the realities of which reflect the failings of the international human rights framework more generally. This framework is examined and evaluated in terms of how it can better facilitate compliance, and the proper treatment of Filipino prisoners specifically. To that end, this thesis considers poor regulatory performance in terms of compliance theory and interdisciplinary international legal scholarship. On this basis, it proposes the employment of restorative justice, which seeks to avoid regulatory ritualism on the one hand and imperialism on the other, and seeks to enhance human rights compliance in an empowering, relational way.</p>