The Lived Experiences of Plea-Bargaining Agreement Grantees among Selected Residents of DOH-Treatment and Rehabilitation Center
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/ajhp.v2i1.3246Keywords:
Drug Rehabilitation, Phenomenology, Plea Bargaining Agreement, Therapeutic CommunityAbstract
Plea bargaining agreements (PBA) for drug rehabilitation residents in the Philippines seek to strike a balance between criminal justice and public health approaches, allowing individuals to avoid harsh penalties while accessing voluntary, evidence-based treatment and rehabilitation programs. However, the implementation of PBA necessitates a careful design and monitoring system ensures that the well-being of the individuals involved are protected. Our qualitative study explored the lived experiences of selected grantees of plea-bargaining agreement among six in-house program residents of DOH- Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in Bataan to identify the significant changes it has on their lives, given their current situation. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, responses were interpreted, analyzed, and categorized according to primary patterns. To ensure the reliability and validity of the written protocols, member checking, together with spending prolonged time and description were employed. Results revealed that the participants have generally gained positive insight and were able to attain motivation towards their recovery from drug dependence. They employed various coping mechanisms such as acceptance of their current situation; drawing strength from family; and their pursuance in attaining a better future. The in-depth analysis of the lived experiences and actual accounts of selected residents granted with plea-bargaining agreement generally provides an enriched overview of the recovery pattern of persons who used drugs (PWUDs) inside the treatment and rehabilitation center. This research may serve as a basis for extension services and collaboration among policymakers and society in improving PBA interventions align with human rights principles.
References
Abu-Raiya, H., & Pargament, K. I. (2015). Religious coping among diverse religions: Commonalities and divergences. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 7(1), 24–33. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037652
Alibudbud, R. (2023). Addressing an opportune time to revise the Philippine Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. The Lancet Regional Health–Western Pacific, 37.
Armenakis, A. A., & Bedeian, A. G. (1992). The role of metaphors in organizational change: Change agent and change target perspectives. Group & Organization Management, 17(3), 242-248. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059601192173003
Bernardo, A. B. (2010). Extending hope theory: Internal and external locus of trait hope. Personality and individual differences, 49(8), 944-949. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2010.07.036
Birkhäuer, J., Gaab, J., Kossowsky, J., Hasler, S., Krummenacher, P., Werner, C., & Gerger, H. (2017). Trust in the health care professional and health outcome: A meta-analysis. PloS one, 12(2), e0170988.
Boehringer, G. (2017). Asia-Pacific: Duterte’s drug war: Violating rights for a quick fix. SAGE Publishing, 42(3), 233-236. https://doi.org/10.1177/1037969x17730700.
Bouckaert, P. (2023). License to kill. Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/report/2017/03/02/license-kill/philippine-police-killings-dutertes-war-drugs
Bueza, M. (2017). In numbers: The Philippines’s ‘war on drugs’. Rappler. http://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/145814-numbers-statistics-philippineswar-drugs
Capone, G., Braham, L., Schroder, T., & Moghaddam, N. (2017). Perceptions of therapeutic principles in a therapeutic community. Therapeutic Communities: The International Journal of Therapeutic Communities, 38(2), 60-78. https://doi.org/10.1108/TC-02-2017-0009
Casey-Avecedo, K., & Bakken, T. (2002). Visiting women in prison: Who visits and who cares. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 34, 67-83.
Chassin, L., Hussong, A. M., Rothenberg, W. A., & Sternberg, A. (2019). Parenting and substance use disorder. Handbook of parenting, 483-516.
Estacio, L. (2018). Profiling ‘voluntary surrenderers’ of Oplan Tokhang in Marikina City, Philippines: An emic view. Philippine Journal of Health Research and Development, 22, 1–11.
Fernquest, J. (2018). State Killing, Denial, and Cycles of Violence in the Philippines. Philippine Sociological Review, 66, 5-34.
Grim, B. J., & Grim, M. E. (2019). Belief, behavior, and belonging: How faith is indispensable in preventing and recovering from substance abuse. Journal of religion and health, 58(5), 1713-1750.
Harris, K. S., Smock, S. A., & Tabor Wilkes, M. (2011). Relapse resilience: A process model of addiction and recovery. Journal of Family Psychotherapy, 22(3), 265-274. https://doi.org/10.1080/08975353.2011.602622
Hechanova, M. R. M., Teng-Calleja, M., Canoy, N. A., & de Guzman, J. M. (2022). Community-Based Drug Rehabilitation and Care in Philippine Local Governments. International Perspectives in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1027/2157-3891/a000058
Hess, T. R., & Tracey, T. J. (2013). Psychological help‐seeking intention among college students across three problem areas. Journal of Counseling & Development, 91(3), 321-330. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.2013.00100.x
Johnson, D T., & Fernquest, J. (2018). Governing through Killing: The War on Drugs in the Philippines. Cambridge University Press, 5(2), 359-390. https://doi.org/10.1017/als.2018.12
Kaufman, E. (1994). Psychotherapy of addicted persons. Guilford Press.
LaMorte, W. W. (2019, September 9). Behavioral change models. https://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/mph-modules/sb/behavioralchangetheories/behavioralchangetheories5.html
Landry, B. (2020). Group treatment for co-occurring disorders in a residential substance abuse facility (Doctoral dissertation, Adler University).
Livingston, J. D., & Boyd, J. E. (2010). Correlates and consequences of internalized stigma for people living with mental illness: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Social science & medicine, 71(12), 2150-2161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.09.030
Maercker, A., & Zoellner, T. (2004). The Janus Face of self-perceived growth: Toward a two-component model of post-traumatic growth. Psychological Inquiry, 15, 41-48
McCrady, B. S., Epstein, E. E., & Sell, R. D. (1996). Theoretical bases of family approaches to substance abuse treatment. Treating substance abuse: Theory and technique, 117-142.
Mears, A. (2010). Effects of Relationships with Significant Others that can contribute to Offender Rehabilitation. EuroVista, 1(2), 79-88.
Patterson, K. (2015). A new definition of recovery. https://www.addiction.com/10687/a-new-definition-of-recovery-beyond-abstinence/
Reporter, G. S. (2016, July 1). Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte urges people to kill drug addicts. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/01/philippines-president-rodrigo-duterte-urges-people-to-kill-drug-addicts
Room, R. (2005). Stigma, social inequality and alcohol and drug use. Drug and alcohol review, 24(2), 143-155.
Simbulan, N., Estacio, L., Dioquino-Maligaso, C., Herbosa, T., & Withers, M. (2019). The Manila declaration on the drug problem in the Philippines. Annals of Global Health, 85(1). https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.28.
Smith. J.A., Flowers, P. & Larkin, M. (2009). Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. London: Sage.
Webb, T. L., & Sheeran, P. (2013). Do changing behavioural intentions engender behaviour change? A meta-analysis of the experimental evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 132, 242-246.
World Health Organization. (2019). The public health dimension of the world drug problem: how WHO works to prevent drug misuse, reduce harm and improve safe access to medicine (Document No. WHO/MVP/EMP/2019.02). Geneva.
Yusay, C. T. C., & Canoy, N. A. (2019). Healing the hurt amid the drug war: Narratives of young urban poor Filipinos in recovering families with parental drug use. International Journal of Drug Policy, 68, 124-131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2018.10.009
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Lawrence D. Balana, Camille V. De Leon

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

