Cruel and unusual punishment

What the ….?

That was my only thought when I first saw the YouTube clip of orange-clad men dancing to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" while a balding man in a halter top pretended to be their hapless victim.I stopped preparing dinner and just stared at the tv.When my husband pointed out that the persons dancing were real prisoners of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

The next day, my sister sent us a link to the video and a note saying, "Please, please tell me this was a joke." Unfortunately, it does not appear to be one.

The first thing I learned in my Criminal Law I class was that the Philippine penal system was geared towards the rehabilitation of offenders and not towards seeking retribution.The "Thriller" video is making me doubt if this is really the case at the CPDRC.Making a prisoner dance to "Thriller" can't be anything except cruel and unusual punishment.

I got the same sickening feeling again when I saw the prisoners dancing "Thriller" in an early morning show.Of all the songs and dance steps available today, why the zombie dance from "Thriller?" And what's with the man dressed in tight jeans and a halter top?

In a news article, Cebu provincial security consultant Byron Garcia is quoted as saying that the dance was part of the prisoners' daily exercise under the jail's rehabilitation program. That seems believable. Daily exercise with dance music in the background sounds like a reasonable part of a prison rehabilitation program. That, however, does not explain why "Thriller" was picked.And why there is a man dressed in tight jeans and a halter top running around.

My friend has a theory aboutthis,whichhewrote about in his blog (http://capgrasdelusional.blogs.friendster.com/capgras_delusional/).I'm quoting him word for word:

"What's the idea of having a man dress up in drag and be presented as prey for zombie prisoners? After some reflection, it has dawned on me that this video is a cry for help, albeit elaborately presented.

It shows that Filipino prisoners have been turned into mindless humanoids bent on preying on fellow-prisoners that show any sign of femininity. Ah! Prison rape! It must be reaching vicious proportions in the Cebuano prison system! Or more generally, it shows the dehumanization that prison life eventually forces on prisoners. After all, when we talk of cruel and unusual punishment, what could be more cruel and unusual that being forced to re-enact "Thriller" all over again? "I was sick and tired of "Thriller" 25 years ago, and I am certainly sick and tired of it now. How much more to be forced to endlessly practice the dance moves?

And if the prison authorities saw fit to broadcast the video, what more could be happening off-camera? Remakes of Devo's "whip it" video? Scene-by-scene reproductions of "Sixteen Candles" or "The Breakfast Club"? I shudder at the mere thought of such degradations."

I hope my friend is wrong and that the choice of "Thriller" is simply a reflection of bad taste in music.I still have no plausible explanation for the man dressed in drag.I do agree with my friend's conclusion though: The lesson of the video is that one should never commit a crime in the Philippines.

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