Families Lived With Their Incarcerated Relatives At This Strange Prison In The Philippines

The Philippines is no stranger to devastating to grinding poverty. More than a quarter of its population lives below the poverty line, and just last year it was hit by one of the most devastating storms on record, Typhoon Haiyan.

Typhoon Haiyan affected more than 11 million people in the Philippines, destroying more than 1 million homes and causing $14 billion of economic damage.

At the Leyte Provincial Jail, on one of the Philippines' smaller islands, the devastation was equally dramatic. The jail was almost completely destroyed, as were most surrounding villages and towns. With nowhere else to live, many Filipinos on Leyte with imprisoned relatives moved into the jail.

After hearing about the jail from journalist John Jevallana, photographer Lawrence Sumulong visited last year to document the strange dynamic that has evolved at the jail. What he found was a complete community that has developed out of necessity. After almost a year, the families moved out of the jail a few months ago.

"The situation at the jail is a microcosm of the overall humanitarian crisis in the Philippines," explained Sumulong. "There is the disaster situation and the poverty and the surreal way that the Filipino people adapt to those conditions. In many ways, the prison is almost like any other Filipino community."

Sumulong shared some photos from the project with us here, but you can see more at his website.