The Visit to Rehabilitations. . .

People had already stereotyped the detainees as bad, dangerous and notorious. We’ve judge them with our own perception, labelled them to be deviant in our society, we gave them our own verdict without knowing what really happens. We judge them because of what they have done without listening or knowing what really the real story.

It was my second time to teach Deviant Behaviour. The first time I handled this subject was way back 2007 or 2008. At first, I was hesitant to take it and teach, as I have no background of this field. I never have any motivations at all because the first time I had this class, my students are not well enough to gain motivation. But of course, our students will always never be the same. Some are well motivated while others are not.  We always have our own share of not so good experience of students. So, we need to divert and give them other activities on which maybe they will excel, because IQ is not the only measurement of our understanding and learning in the class.

Finally, after my busy left and right training this summer, my deviant class was able to agree that we should visit rehabilitation center, jails and mental hospitals. Since there is only one available out of the three we ended up visiting the rehabilitation center or the  jail. The option of going to visit the most so-called dangerous people in our society is some what a risk for us because we are all girls and it was all our first time to be exposed in a place like this.

We sent letters of communication and agreed on dates where we can have a peek on their place and interview some detainees. To hear their sentiments in life and to be heard by people from the outside of the wall they are stock in. We finally had our visit on May 18, 2012.

What are the first impression? We are all excited but at the same time sacred. We are clueless of what might happen while we are inside their vicinity. They are the people who committed crimes and they are placed in jail to be isolate and prevent from doing more crimes and of course to suffer and endure the pain of what they had done. Mixed emotions, who knows what could be the effect of us in them. Nevertheless, we were able to compose our self to be professionals and let them observe us as social scientist who are strong enough to face challenges even with those of the things that we never expect what could happen to us.

Good thing the jail guards and wardens who assist us were nice enough to let our fears and worries fly. They we’re very accommodating and they never let us feel that working in places like those are scary and judge people at all.

Afterall the visit to the Provincial jail and BJMP, I considered it as a fun and filled with lots of learning experience. It is always better to be  exposed before judging those who are behind bars. Because not all of those who are behind bars are the one who committed their crimes, they could be framed-up, they could have done it through self-defense but because their status in life is lower than the victim then they we’re the ones who are subjected to have done the crime.

It is not good to judge people because others judge them of what they. It never  is good to judge people because you heard bad things about them. And it is never good to judge others when you don’t know the real story.

My students and the people from BJMP

Sir Poblete as he orients us about the Provincial Jail

After some pety interview with the detainees.