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Published: April 28th 2009
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Stephanie and Brian, we were given a break in between visiting the prisons to catch something to eat. We didn't take pictures at the prisons. Today we headed out early, planning to visit two of Costa Rica's prisons. The goal of this trip was to get a grasp of the contrasts between this justice system and the United States justice system. There were absolute contrasts!
We first visited an elderly prison. This prison was designed to keep the more vulnerable elderly population segregated from a general population. Upon entering the prison, I immediately noticed the lack of security that we were put through upon entering. We were briefly screened for weapons and then let into the prison in a large group. We were given a tour of the prison and then led to a classroom where a few of the staff spoke with us about the country's view on prisons and the actual prison itself.
In viewing the prison, it seemed more like a retirement home than a punishment. Costa Rica realizes that prisons do not really contribute to the rehabilitation of criminals. They focus more on educating their prisoners and allowing them to do work. Their prisoners are referred to as "persons deprived of liberty" and the terms inmate, prisoner, etc, are not in the vernacular. It is a very progressive system. Many
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Random papier mache aligator/crocodile thing in the middle of the city. of the PDL's we met were being detained because they had committed a sexual offense.
The PDL's cooked us a meal (which was delicious), but it was interesting to see that they had complete access to the kitchen, including knifes and other objects that could easily be utilized as weapons. In the U.S. system, it is of concern even to allow inmates to have plasticware, as it could be turned into a potential weapon.
The PDL's were well taken care-of, they had plenty of recreational activities such as gardening and arts and crafts and many of them were able to participate in educational classes and work.
We then drove the big blue bus to the next prison, which was a general population prison. It was interesting entering this prison (especially for those who had never been to a prison before). I knew what to expect, but it was interesting to see the group dynamic change. When we entered, many of the PDLs made cat calls and whistling toward our group and many of the guys in our group felt threatened and surrounded the women.
We were escorted to a classroom where, again, we were given a
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The Chico State group... including Freddy from Maryland in the front right. run-down of the workings of the prison and were able to ask questions of the staff. We then took a tour of this prison and again, saw stark contrasts. There were no prison uniforms or cells. The housing was more like dormitories and the PDL's were given a lot of freedom. They were encouraged to work within the prison and could earn credits (much like the US good behavior credits).
We met a US PDL named James who had been detained in the Costa Rica prison system. He had been convicted for a 5-year sentence and upon entering, had extremely limited Spanish-speaking skills. He was befriended and learned Spanish in addition to being helped out by his fellow PDLs. Hames' story was inspiring and while he regretted what he did, he seemed to be making the most of his bad situation. James is from San Diego, and had me promise to take a shot of tequila for him. We left the prison having been inspired to make the most of our life... we also got to play with some local dogs. =)
The day was really interesting and definitely made us think about the differences between the United
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Trying to make it look like Jamie was holding two drinks... but alas... epic fail. States philosophy and other countries.
That night, we hung out at the bar and met some fellow American students (Freddy from Maryland!) who were staying at the same hotel as us (Hotel Balmoral). As always, some great times and great conversations with my fellow Chico-people!!
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