Implementing the Nelson Mandela Rules in Challenging Environments: Lessons from Zamboanga City Jail's Innovative Reform Model

ICPA 2025 Presentation by Xavier Solda, Marie Louise E. Engracial, and Martin Perfecto (PID026)

Authors

Xavier Solda

Deputy Director, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Philippines

Marie Louise E. Engracial

Deputy Chief, Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Center, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Philippines

Ms. Marie Louise E. Engracial holds the position of Intelligence Officer 5 and currently the Deputy Chief for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Counterterrorism Center of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in the Philippines where she leads the development and implementation of peacebuilding, P/CVE and counterterrorism programs to transform the drivers of radicalization and vulnerabilities of affected sectors, like jails and prisons. She represents the BJMP in various national and international consultations and serves as alternate representative to the Philippine National Action Plan on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PDL with terrorism related cases and Violent Extremist Offenders Cluster). Prior to this position, she served as Human Resource Management Officer (HRMO) of the agency and Researcher/Statistician. During her stint as HRMO, she led the implementation of the Program to Institutionalize Meritocracy and Excellence in Human Resource Management (PRIME-HRM) in the agency which aimed to improve human resource systems, competencies and practices into a level of excellence at par with global standards.

Martin Perfecto

National Programme Officer, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Philippines

Martin Perfecto is a National Program Officer for Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Programme Office in the Philippines, focusing on advancing prison reform. He works closely with national justice institutions to strengthen policies, systems, and practices in line with international standards such as the Nelson Mandela Rules and the Bangkok Rules.

At UNODC, he has partnered with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), Department of Justice (DOJ), Supreme Court, and other government agencies on initiatives related to prison management, decongestion, oversight, and rehabilitation. His work includes support for jail transition planning, capacity-building on dynamic security, and programs on education and reintegration for persons deprived of liberty. He has also worked alongside reform-minded leaders, such as Xavier A. Solda during his tenure as Warden of the Zamboanga City Jail- Male Dormitory, and Marie Louise Engracial in advancing the Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) Center of the BJMP.

Martin’s background bridges both international and national experience. He pursued his doctoral fellowship in criminal justice at Sam Houston State University in the United States, where he also served as an instructor of various undergraduate courses and worked with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT), and the Correctional Management Institute of Texas (CMIT). Prior to joining UNODC, he served as Deputy Director-General for Reformation at the Bureau of Corrections, where he oversaw rehabilitation programs for persons deprived of liberty, and as Executive Director of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council, where he contributed to the protection and development of children in conflict with the law. Through these roles, he has consistently advanced evidence-based, rights-centered approaches to criminal justice reform, with a focus on rehabilitation, humane treatment, and restorative justice.

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