Pressing need for space in Manila jail

PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Inmates sleeping in an open-air basketball court inside the Quezon City jail in Manila at night on July 19. Some 3,800 inmates at the jail, which was built six decades ago to house 800, face a relentless contest for space each day.

Men take turns to sleep on the cracked cement floor of the basketball court, the steps of staircases, and underneath beds and hammocks made out of old blankets.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on July 31, 2016, with the headline Pressing need for space in Manila jail. Subscribe