EDITORIAL - What’s going on in Operation Second Chance?

It seems another incident has happened in Operation Second Chance, the facility operated by the Cebu City government in Barangay Kalunasan, that is intended to house minor offenders or, as we call them today, children in conflict with the law.

By this time people should be used to the fact that when we say incident, it means minors who are supposed to be undergoing rehabilitation in that facility have escaped.

According to reports, last Monday night’s escape is the fourth time in nine months that residents have broken out of the facility. In the latest incident, five successfully made the escape but two were immediately found and returned to the facility.

Councilor David Tumulak has said the fault may lie in the way the facility is run. It could be as Tumulak says, and those who operate the facility aren’t doing a good job.

We can always take another view and blame the escapees solely for the incident. One can easily say that those who escaped were the really stubborn kids who resist change and do not appreciate the chance that has been given to them.

In this case, fault still lies in the facility for failing to make residents appreciate the consequences of a life honestly lived.

Repeated escapes in nine months is no joke. Last October at least 20 residents escaped from the facility, followed by another escape last December when six bolted. Were these incidents not enough to raise alarm bells that something might be wrong with the facility? Was there any action taken between then and now to improve how things are run there?

We can’t take Operation Second Chance lightly. To some extent we can say that facility can mean the difference between a minor becoming a productive member of society or a burden to the rest of us. It could mean the difference between a life well-lived and a life of crime.

When it comes to minor offenders, it’s better to rehabilitate them now as children rather than jail them later as adults.